Yordano Ventura's hat with Oscar Taveras tribute going to Hall of Fame
Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura's hat from Game 6 of the World Series with a tribute to late friend and former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras will be sent to the Hall of Fame.
Taveras, 22, died in a car accident with his girlfriend, Edilia Arvelo, earlier this week in his native Dominican Republic.
Taveras and Ventura were friends growing up, and Ventura dedicated the game to Taveras by writing "RIP O.T #18" on his hat and writing messages on his glove and cleats. Ventura, a rookie, started Game 6 on Tuesday and allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings to force a Game 7 between the Royals and San Francisco Giants.
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After the game, Ventura spoke about his connection to Taveras, via David Brown of Yahoo Sports.
"If he was still here, I would for sure be talking to him, and Oscar would be very happy for me and very proud," Ventura said. "Oscar was a very humble guy and very likeable, and I'm going to miss him a lot."
"From the minute that I found out about Oscar, I said this game was going to be dedicated to him," Ventura said.
A moment of silence was held before Game 6 in honor of Taveras and Arvelo. The Cardinals paid tribute to Taveras on Tuesday by turning on the lights in right field at Busch Stadium.
Several Cardinals attended Taveras' funeral on Tuesday, including general manager John Mozeliak, manager Mike Matheny, second baseman Matt Carpenter and pitcher Carlos Martinez.
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- Paul Palladino
