KANSAS CITY -- Saturday would have been Yordano Ventura's 26th birthday.
There are reminders of Ventura, who died in January after an auto accident, everywhere at Kauffman Stadium, from the "ACE 30" tarp on the pitcher's mound, to his locker, which is filled with photos of Ventura in action and with teammates.
Royals manager Ned Yost reflected on the times he still thinks of Ventura:
"This is probably stupid," Yost said, "but every day when I get here, I'm generally the first one here, and the clubhouse is totally pitch black. I'll go and turn on all the lights, and I'll walk around the clubhouse.