Don't believe the gruesome rumors about this MLB pitcher's death
Per usual, we can blame the internet for snowballing absurd, ghastly theories.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura died in a car accident early Sunday morning in his native Dominican Republic. By Monday, rumors that Ventura was alive after the crash, looted and left for dead propagated the digital airwaves.
But, according to a report from the Kansas City Star, those claims were undoubtedly false.
One Spanish-language publication said Monday that robbers stripped various valuables from Ventura after the crash. MLB legend and Domincan-born pitcher Pedro Martinez posted a series of tweets on Tuesday, making similar claims and calling for an investigation into the robbery.
A bunch of reports, tweets and Reddit threads later, the truth remained murky.
But Bienvenido Rojas — a sports journalist in Santo Domingo — spoke with the coroner who performed Ventura's autopsy and confirmed that he died on impact, despite the rumors. Trying to further squash the speculation, Rojas tweeted a photo (trigger warning) of Ventura after the crash, which shows him still wearing a watch and bracelet.
Authorities haven't released all the details yet, but for now, the idea Ventura was left for dead appears to be false.
