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Royals and Rangers pay tribute to Yordano Ventura before spring opener

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor

Saturday was a bittersweet day in Surprise, Ariz.

As the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers took the field for their Cactus League opener, there were mixed feelings and emotions.

Sure, the excitement that’s always attached to the first spring training game was palpable. The hope that always exists when a new season dawns was there too. But there was also a degree of emptiness. That’s because everyone knew that something, or more specifically someone, was missing.

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Saturday marked the first time the Royals have taken the field without their “Ace” Yordano Ventura, who was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic on Jan. 22. There was nothing they could do to bring him back or recreate his spirit and energy. But they could honor his memory and celebrate his life, and that’s exactly what they did with a helping hand from the Rangers.

As part of a special pregame ceremony, a video tribute to Ventura aired on the stadium’s videoboard.

Immediately after, Surprise city official Wayne Turner presented a plaque to Royals manager Ned Yost in honor of Ventura. The plaque will permanently remain on a stadium wall.

The Kansas City Royals stand for a moment a silence for Yordano Ventura before their spring opener against the Rangers. (AP)
The Kansas City Royals stand for a moment a silence for Yordano Ventura before their spring opener against the Rangers. (AP)

Here’s the full text on the plaque, courtesy of MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan:

A brother and a teammate, Yordano Ventura, passed away on the morning of January 22 in his native Dominican Republic, at the age of 25. He signed with the Royals as a 17-year-old, eventually making the big league team in 2013 as a 22-year-old. On most days, he could be found laughing and joking with his baseball family in the clubhouse. However, on days when he pitched, that smile was replaced by a quiet confidence and an intense fire, which he brought to the mound for every start. He had many highlights in his abbreviated career, not the least of which was throwing eight shutout innings in Game #6 of the 2014 World Series to force a Game #7 vs. San Francisco.

It was a wonderful gesture.

The most emotional moment though came when Rangers stars and Dominican Republic natives Adrian Beltre and Carlos Gomez placed a floral arrangement on the pitching mound.

Reality hit hard on Saturday, but the Royals and Rangers handled it as best they could. It wasn’t the way any of the players, coaches or fans in Surprise wanted to begin the season, but credit to all involved for honoring Yordano Ventura in a truly meaningful way.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!