Yordano Ventura grieves for Oscar Taveras amid preparation for Game 6
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Yordano Ventura said he knew Oscar Taveras, the young slugger for the St. Louis Cardinals who died, along with his girlfriend, Edilia Arvelo, in a car crash Sunday night in the Dominican Republic. Ventura and Taveras were friends who hung out at each other’s home during those frequent times in the minors when they played on opposing teams in the same league.
Before a team workout for the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Monday afternoon, Ventura said Taveras has been on his mind as he prepared for Game 6 of the World Series. Sometime before Ventura throws the first pitch against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night, the body of Taveras will be buried in their home country.
About a year older at 23, Ventura was born in Semana, D.R., a seaside town smaller than Puerto Plata, a resort area where Taveras was from. Both players began with their respective organizations in 2009 when they were in their late teens. Ventura reached the majors in 2013; Taveras this past May. Both players — Ventura with a 100 mph-plus fastball, and Taveras with hitting talent that’s been compared to Albert Pujols — have been considered to be on parallel tracks to stardom in the majors.
[RELATED: Yahoo Sports’ own Jeff Passan on Juan Perez of the Giants, who considered Taveras a good friend.]
Ventura’s eyes glazed as he talked about Taveras, but he kept his composure.
“I consider myself a friend of his, and my thoughts are with the family and of all of those who know him,” Ventura said with the help of teammate Jeremy Guthrie translating. “It’s a very difficult time. And such is life — things like this happen.”
Life also goes on, and with it, Ventura’s work. With the Giants leading the best-of-seven Series 3-2, the Royals are facing elimination. The emotions that can accompany such a scenario might clutter the mind of another player, but Royals manager Ned Yost expects Ventura to continue to pitch with focus beyond his years.
“You worry about … young pitchers, [that] they’re going to get overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation,” Yost said. “I’ve got absolutely no concern that that’s going to happen with him. We know what kind of stuff he has. We know his ability to compete. We know his athleticism on the mound. His confidence is just staggering. I mean, you walk in that clubhouse, and he looks you square in the eye with that glint that says, ‘I’m ready for this.’ “
Ventura said he appreciates Yost’s faith in him, and the faith teammates say they have in him, though he wouldn’t go as far as Yost, who predicted the Royals would make it to Game 7.
“You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but everybody is going to give everything they have, go out there and fight, knowing that we’re a good team with confidence,” Ventura said. “The biggest goal is to not leave anything behind, to give everything you have, knowing that it could be the last game. We have all the confidence that we can go out there and win.”
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David Brown is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter!
