Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, former MLB player Andy Marte killed in separate car crashes in Dominican Republic Tweet email

Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura was killed in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic on Sunday, authorities said.

Dominican police confirmed the 25-year-old's death, which occurred in the town of Juan Adrian and was first reported by ESPN.

"Our prayers right now are with Yordano's family as we mourn this young man's passing," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement. "He was so young and so talented, full of youthful exuberance and always brought a smile to everyone he interacted with. We will get through this as an organization, but right now is a time to mourn and celebrate the life of Yordano."

The tragedy came hours after the death of 33-year-old Andy Marte, a one-time top prospect and former third baseman for the Indians, Braves and Diamondbacks who was killed in a separate car crash in the Dominican Republic.

Royals lower flag to half-mast in memory of Yordano Ventura

Marte, also a Dominican native, played parts of seven seasons at the hot corner and at first base in the majors, hitting 21 home runs with 99 RBIs and a .218 average over 308 career games. He was playing winter league baseball for Las Aguilas Cibaenas, according to Baseball America.

Ventura, a righthanded flame-thrower, played his entire four-year MLB career in Kansas City after signing with the team as an amatuer free agent in 2008. Ventura helped the Royals to their latest World Series championship against the Mets in 2015, going 13-8 during that regular season and 11-12 in 2016.

Ventura first blossomed as a major-league starter in 2014, using his 100 mph fastball to earn him the five-year, $24 million contract he signed before the 2015 season.

On Sunday, the Royals lowered their flag outside Kauffman Stadium to half-mast in Ventura's memory.

The most memorable moment of Ventura's career came in Game 6 of the 2014 World Series against the Giants. The rookie pitcher took the mound and dedicated his outing to his late friend and fellow Dominican Oscar Taveras, the Cardinals outfielder who died in a car accident two days before the game. Ventura, who had the words "R.I.P OT #18" written on the front of his hat along with tributes on his spikes and glove, tossed seven shutout innings of three-hit ball in the 10-0 win.

The Royals lost Game 7 but stormed back to the Fall Classic the following year and beat the Mets in five games. Ventura struggled in his one 2015 World Series start, picking up the loss in Game 3 at Citi Field.

Ventura is the second promising young starter to die in the last six months after 24-year-old Marlins ace Jose Fernandez died in September in a boating accident. Ventura also honored Fernandez during a game, adding "R.I.P. JF #16" next to his written tribute for Taveras on his cap.

The promising pitcher recorded a 38-31 record with a 3.89 ERA in 94 career regular-season games, but his fiery demeanor will also be remembered as part of the young talent's legacy.

Ventura was involved in several on-field incidents in April 2015 involving Angels star Mike Trout, then-A's infielder Brett Lawrie and then-White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton, which helped contribute to Ventura's reputation as a passionate and combative player. Ventura received a seven-game suspension in the latter incident after Ventura snagged a comebacker and exchanged words with Eaton as the batter jogged down the first-base line. Eaton turned around to confront Ventura, which escalated into a benches-clearing brawl.

In June 2016, Orioles star Manny Machado prompted the benches to clear when he charged Ventura after his inside pitches during Machado's earlier at-bat continued with a hit-by-pitch.

Several Royals players and other MLB players shared their condolences on Twitter after hearing of the deaths of Ventura and Marte.