Funeral For Caribbean Born Royals Pitcher Set For Tuesday In The DR

Yordano Ventura of the Kansas City Royals was killed in a car accident in the DR on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

By NAN Sports Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Jan. 24, 2017: Funeral services for the Kansas Royals pitcher who was killed in a car accident in his homeland of the Dominican Republic early Sunday morning is set for today.

Yordano Ventura will be laid to rest following a 2 ET funeral service in his hometown of Las Terrenas in the Dominican Republic, the Royals confirmed Monday.

The 25-year-old righthander was remembered Monday by Royals general manager Dayton Moore in a conference call. “Everybody in our organization is hurting right now. We were truly blessed to have been a part of his life. He will always be a special part of our organization,” Moore said.

The Royals indicated they still were collecting details, but there were reports out of the Dominican that the crash took place on a highway in Rancho Arriba, a town in the province of San Jose de Ocoa.

“From what I’ve been told, speed was not a factor,” Moore said. “It was just a mountainous area with heavy fog. It’s obvious from the pictures that he did not have a seat belt on. No one has been able to confirm or deny alcohol was a factor, and I’ve asked repeatedly.”

According to Moore, toxicology reports won’t be available for 21 days. Moore said Royals assistant general manager Rene Francisco, who is in charge of international operations, was en route to the Dominican to be with Ventura’s family.

Ventura made his MLB debut on September 17, 2013. Known as a power pitcher, his fastball was much valued by the Royals during his tenure with the team. In 2014, Ventura’s 96.2-mile-per-hour (154.8 km/h) average fastball velocity (96.4 miles per hour (155.1 km/h) for two-seam fastballs) ranked second-best among MLB starters. He helped the Royals win the 2015 World Series.

Ventura is survived by his wife, Maria del Pilar Sangiovanni, whom he married prior to last season.