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Alcides Escobar Opens Up About Yordano Ventura's Tragic Death
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- Alcides Escobar Opens Up About Yordano Ventura's Tragic Death
Alcides Escobar and Yordano Ventura were more than just teammates during their time together in Kansas City.
They were part of a tight-knit group that helped bring the Royals back to prominence, winning the 2015 World Series and building a bond that went far beyond the field.
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When Ventura died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic on January 22, 2017, the loss hit Escobar and the rest of the Royals family in a way that still hurts to this day.
"He Was Just a Kid"
In a heartfelt reflection on his late teammate, Escobar shared just how deeply Ventura's passing affected him and how difficult it was to say goodbye.
"When I saw Ventura's mom and she saw me, she ran over and hugged," Escobar said . "That moment really broke my heart. It was incredibly hard to carry him to his final resting place. He was just a kid, so young, so full of life. With the potential he had, at that time, there simply wasn't anyone else around like him."
Escobar was one of several Royals players who traveled to the Dominican Republic for Ventura's funeral, where he served as a pallbearer alongside Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez .
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The funeral procession marched through the streets of Las Terrenas, with kids wearing Ventura's No. 30 jersey watching the truck carry his casket past the field where he first learned to play baseball.
A Bond Built in Kansas City
Escobar and Ventura overlapped with the Royals during a special stretch in franchise history.
Escobar arrived in Kansas City as part of the 2010 trade that sent Zack Greinke to Milwaukee , and he quickly became a fixture at shortstop.
Ventura, who signed with the Royals as a 17-year-old international free agent in 2008, made his big league debut in September 2013 and joined Escobar in the everyday lineup not long after.
Together they were part of back-to-back American League pennant teams in 2014 and 2015, with Ventura playing a huge role on the mound during both October runs.
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Ventura finished his career with a 38-31 record, a 3.89 ERA and 470 strikeouts in just 94 games, and his fastball regularly touching 100 mph made him one of the most exciting young arms in baseball.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Ventura was only 25 when he died, and Escobar's words capture just how much potential was lost that day.
He was a fierce competitor who backed up his teammates without hesitation, once hitting an opposing batter with a 99 mph fastball after a dirty slide injured Escobar at second base .
That kind of loyalty defined who Ventura was.
The Royals honored Ventura throughout the 2017 season by wearing "ACE 30" patches on their uniforms, and his memory still lives on in Kansas City.
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The franchise finished the 2025 season at 82-80 , landing third in the AL Central under manager Matt Quatraro, and now looks ahead to a 2026 campaign where they hope to return to the postseason for the first time since their 2024 Wild Card run.
Even as the Royals continue to build around stars like Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, the legacy of players like Ventura remains woven into the fabric of the organization.
For Escobar, who spent eight seasons in Kansas City from 2011 to 2018, the memories of his young teammate will never fade.
"He was just a kid, so young, so full of life," Escobar said. And for everyone who watched Ventura pitch, that is the truth that makes his loss so hard to accept.
