Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura will try to keep his team’s season alive when he takes the mound on Tuesday night. Like many others, Ventura will be playing with a heavy heart.
Ventura has dedicated his Game 6 start against the San Francisco Giants to the late Oscar Taveras, the 22-year-old St. Louis Cardinals prospect who died in a tragic car crash over the weekend. Ventura has the No. 18 and “R.I.P.” inscribed on his spikes and glove.
“It’s going to be hard to put that aside, but I’m going to throw everything I have out there,” Ventura said in Spanish Monday night, via MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. “I’m dedicating that game to him.”
Ventura grew up in a Dominican Republic town 140 miles away from Taveras. The two did not know each other growing up, but they became close while playing in the Texas League two years ago. Ventura is just a year older than Taveras, and the Royals pitcher said he planned to spend a lot of time at Taveras’ home in the Dominican Republic this winter.
“But I guess not,” Ventura said. “God had a different plan.”
Unfortunately, a tragedy like the death of a 22-year-old ballplayer is a terrible reminder that the World Series isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of life. Taveras will be on the minds of Ventura and everyone else during Game 6.
