Royals Players Went To Kauffman Stadium And Joined Mourning Fans
Late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, 25-year-old Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic. The news was made public Sunday morning, and it didn’t take long for Royals fans to flock to Kauffman Stadium to pay their respects to the fallen young star. The fans who gathered outside of the stadium were soon joined by players from the Royals. Danny Duffy and Christian Colon went to the ballpark earlier in the day to hug mourning Royals fans, and returned later that night with Ian Kennedy to attend a vigil.
This loss is obviously being felt all throughout the baseball community, especially by players who call the Dominican Republic home, but this was a player who was beloved in Kansas City. And you also have to remember, one of the driving forces behind the Royals’ success in recent years is that they were a young team that came up through the Royals’ system together. They’re a very close group, and Ventura was a part of that crop of homegrown talent that contributed to two American League championships and a World Series title. While the most dominant feeling of sadness derives from knowing that a 25-year-old man lost his life, the fact that his future within the game of baseball was so bright makes it that much more devastating.