Carlos Martinez honored Oscar Taveras and Yordano Ventura with pregame ritual
The season opener is, at its core, a celebration of baseball. That celebration takes many forms: #CapsOn, military flyovers, and all the other pomp and circumstance. But, sometimes celebrating baseball requires us to also remember those we lost.
Cardinals starter
Sadly, Martinez added a second number to his pregame memorial before Sunday night's 4-3 win over the Cubs. Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura was killed in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic this offseason. Ventura wore No. 30 with the Royals.
A kind gesture memorializing these two young players, and fellow Dominican brethren, who were taken from the game too soon. The Royals were appreciative of Martinez's tribute.
Thank you, Carlos. #Ace30 https://t.co/vyZWwN8rj3
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 3, 2017
After the game, Martinez spoke about the gesture with MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (speaking through a translator):
"There were a lot of emotions going through me. It was an honor to have been like a brother to both of them. And for me, every time I go on the mound, I dedicate every single game to them because they taught me to live my life to the fullest."
In his season debut, Martinez went 7 1/3 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts while only allowing six hits.