Royals’ Danny Duffy switching to No. 30 in honor of Yordano Ventura
Kansas City Royals left-hander Danny Duffy is changing his uniform number to pay tribute to a former teammate.
The club announced Wednesday night that Duffy, a 10-year veteran who has spent his entire career in Kansas City, will switch to No. 30 in 2021 to honor former teammate Yordano Ventura, who tragically passed away in a car crash at the age of 25 in January 2017.
With the blessing of Yordano’s mother, Marisol, plus former and current teammates, Duffman will wear No. 30 to honor his friend. pic.twitter.com/i8mj3MqKjo
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) February 18, 2021
Duffy wore No. 23 for the first two seasons of his big-league career (2011-12) and had worn No. 41 since 2013.
Duffy and Ventura played together in Kansas City from 2013-16 as well as at various minor league stops. The veteran left-hander previously has paid tribute to his fallen teammate by scratching out Ventura’s No. 30 in the dirt on the mound and by purchasing Ventura memorabilia online and giving it to his mother, Marisol.
