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.
While the number is not officially retired, no Royals player has worn No. 30 since Ventura stepped off the mound at Kauffman Stadium on Sept. 30, 2016.
That will change this year.
The Royals made the announcement on Twitter, saying Duffy had “the blessing of Yordano’s mother, Marisol, plus former and current teammates.”
Ventura, who died on Jan. 22, 2017 in the one-car wreck in his Dominican Republic, remains popular among Royals fans. They expressed their happiness in Duffy’s number changed.
