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The Royals will wear a special uniform patch this season to honor Yordano Ventura

Mike Oz

With the tragic death of pitcher Yordano Ventura fresh on their minds still, the Kansas City Royals on Thursday announced they’d honor Ventura’s memory for the entire 2017 season with a special patch on their uniform.

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Ventura, 25, was killed in an auto accident in the Dominican Republic early Sunday morning. When he was laid to rest earlier this week, many Royals players and staff members were in the Dominican Republic to be a part of the services. Now, they’ll keep Ventura’s spirit with them each game in 2017.

Yordano Ventura will be remembered by the Royals with a jersey patch. (Getty Images)
Yordano Ventura will be remembered by the Royals with a jersey patch. (Getty Images)

Ventura wore No. 30 throughout his career with the Royals and was nicknamed “Ace” by his teammates and fans. It was a reference to his potential on the mound and an allusion to “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”

Authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the accident. The early belief, according to investigators in the Dominican Republic, was that speed may have been a factor in the accident. In a positive development: Authorities now believe Ventura wasn’t robbed after his fatal accident.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!