KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the weeks after Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura died in an vehicle crash in January 2017, a still-grieving Danny Duffy began collecting memorabilia of his late friend.
Duffy sent the items to Ventura’s mom, Marisol Hernández, in the Dominican Republic as a way to honor and remember her son.
Ventura is still never far from Duffy’s mind, and he has hit upon a new way to pay tribute. Starting this season, Duffy has changed his jersey number from 41 to 30, which was Ventura’s number.