KC Royals: Yordano Ventura Funeral And Other Updates
KC Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura’s funeral took place on Tuesday in the Dominican Republic. Multiple Kansas City Royals players, and team officials, attended, along with Dominican MLB stars Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Johnny Cueto, and Edinson Volquez.
Many of Yordano Ventura‘s Kansas City Royals teammates flew to the Dominican Republic for his funeral. Alcides Escobar, Eric Hosmer, and Salvador Perez were pall bearers, and Perez also delivered a eulogy. Dayton Moore, international scout Rene Francisco, and other members of the KC Royals front office also paid their respects to Ventura’s mother Marisol Hernandez and the rest of his family.
The Kansas City Star sent reporter Vahe Gregorian and photographer John Sleezer to the funeral.
Perez also addressed Ventura’s mother, Marisol, telling her: “Mi doña, stay strong for your family. You have our support. … Only God knows why he does these things.”
The Kansas City Star also posted a video of Yordano Ventura visiting with a cancer-stricken girl last spring:
“When we got there to Kauffman Stadium and we were taken out to the field, we didn’t know who Amelia would be paired up with,” Amelia’s mother, Jill Meyer, said Monday. “When Yordano walked out on the field and we realized it was him, we were of course incredibly excited. He’s an amazing pitcher. He was holding in his hand a baseball that he had already autographed for Amelia. On the baseball he had written to Amelia, ‘Happy birthday,’ and he had signed it.”
Amelia’s ninth birthday was the next day, and unfortunately it would be her last. She died on Oct. 26 after a battle with brain cancer.
Television station KSHB 41 posted a story on their website about two local Kansas City boys recalling how Yordano Ventura stopped by their lemonade stand last summer:
10-year-old Rahmeen said, “It was like, a really slow day because we only had two customers and then he pulled up.”
He was Yordano Ventura, star pitcher for the Kansas City Royals. 8-year-old Solomon said he asked for, “One cup of lemonade and my brother came up with the lemonade and looked at him for a second and he was like ‘Yordano Ventura?’ And he went crazy.”
Many Twitter users posted video and images from Ventura’s funeral:
Video via @vgregorian of funeral procession to field where Yordano Ventura learned to play baseball. pic.twitter.com/sEY2NJoxVI
— Jeff Rosen (@jeff_rosen88) January 24, 2017
#LasTerrenas #RepublicaDominicana #YordanoVentura #Royals pic.twitter.com/O6xQb6ldhS
— Griselda D. Ramirez (@gd_ramirez) January 24, 2017
A 94-year-old Royals fan left hospice care to visit Yordano Ventura’s memorial https://t.co/OXAbHg4Cv8 pic.twitter.com/ocvGMItLDw
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 24, 2017
#Royals Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas heading this morning to teammate Yordano Ventura’s funeral in Dominican Republic. @KCStar @Royals pic.twitter.com/vYxAEy9Zn6
— John Sleezer (@jsleezer) January 24, 2017
Tonight Union Station will shine Royals blue and white as we join our community in grieving and honoring the memory of Yordano Ventura pic.twitter.com/QhwnM5DrMH
— Union Station KC (@UnionStationKC) January 23, 2017
Royals players and fans gathered at Kauffman Stadium to mourn the loss of Yordano Ventura pic.twitter.com/KZhDKDhADG
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 22, 2017
However, guaranteed contracts include exceptions that relate to player conduct, and Ventura’s deal includes a provision that will nullify payment for failure to perform due to injury or death resulting from driving a motorized vehicle while intoxicated, sources said.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore said on Sunday that the toxicology results will not be known for three weeks, but that authorities in the Dominican Republic had told him that no alcohol was found at the scene.
To tell the truth, I just keep feeling worse the more I read about this story.
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