Yordano Ventura Tribute Given by Royals Prior to Home Opener vs. Athletics

Prior to their Opening Day game against the Oakland Athletics, the Kansas City Royals honored Yordano Ventura, who died in a car accident in January.

Fox Sports Kansas City and Andrew Carter of KCTV5 in Kansas City, Missouri, shared video from the pregame ceremony:

The Kansas City Star's John Sleezer also shared a photo of Ventura's mother, Marisol Hernandez, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch:

Ventura made 93 starts for the Royals over four seasons. He went 38-31 with a 3.89 ERA. He also made nine postseason starts, posting a 4.66 ERA in 46.1 innings.

"I think the hard part is there's no real blueprint with how to deal with something like this," Kansas City pitcher Chris Young said of Ventura's death, per Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. "It takes time for all of us."

Royals manager Ned Yost offered a similar sentiment: "The grieving process is different for everybody. And you can't deny them or try to cut short their process. Everybody deals with it differently."