After the Royals clinched the American League pennant in 2015, Yordano Ventura did something in the clubhouse that amazed fans: He nonchalantly opened a beer bottle with his teeth.
Danny Duffy’s bear suit is the stuff of legends when it comes to Royals clubhouse celebrations, but Ventura’s cap-removal is vastly underrated. It was fun and impressive.
It showed a side of Ventura, who died nine months ago in a car accident in the Dominican Republic, that we didn’t often see. Fans knew Ventura possessed a phenomenal fastball and was temperamental at times on the mound, but his playful side wasn’t as well known.