There’s really no way to portray Yordano Ventura‘s death at age 25 anything but a horrible event. But, some recent history of nearby sports teams show that the passing of a teammate doesn’t always result in a poor season. If anything, both teams—and the cities that they represent—might even need the sense of community that sports can bring more than they would have before the tragedy.
Both Chris Young and Edinson Volquez managed to help the Kansas City Royals win their second championship in 2015 despite the passing of their fathers.