The MLB has lost two members of its family on Sunday when Kansas City Royals ace Yordano Ventura and former Cleveland Indians infielder Andy Marte died in separate car accidents. The baseball community is in total shock once again four months after the tragic death of Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez.
Ventura, who is only 25 years old, was confirmed dead on Sunday by the police after an automobile accident in the city of Juan Adrian in the Dominican Republic. According to Sports Illustrated, Ventura was under the influence when the accident happened.
The one-time World Series champion reportedly lost control of his custom Jeep Wrangler while trying to turn on a mountain road. The vehicle flipped and Ventura was thrown out. The authorities believed he died at the scene before the paramedics arrived.
The 25-year-old was instrumental in the Royals' two trips to the World Series in 2014 and 2015. He helped the Royals win their first World Series title in 30 years in 2015. He has a record of 38-31 with a 3.89 ERA and 470 strikeouts. He was entering his fourth full season in the majors next season.
On the other hand, Marte was 33 years old at the time of his death due to a car crash in the Dominican Republic. He was one of the highly-touted prospects during his tenure in the minors but it never quite panned out for him in the majors, per Yahoo! Sports.
In seven seasons in the MLB, Marte had a batting average of .218 with 21 home runs and 99 RBIs. He played six years for the Cleveland Indians from 2005 to 2010. He returned to the majors in 2014 by signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks but he only appeared in six games.
Ventura is the third active MLB player to die due to an accident since 2014. Oscar Taveras of the St. Louis Cardinals died in 2014 after a car accident while Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident in Miami back on September 25, 2016.
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