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MLB players Yordano Ventura, Andy Marte die in separate car crashes

Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura and former MLB infielder Andy Marte have both died in separate car crashes on the same day in the Dominican Republic, authorities confirmed Sunday morning.

Highway patrol spokesman Jacobo Mateo said Ventura died on a highway leading to the town of Juan Adrian, about 40 miles northwest of Santo Domingo. It was not clear if Ventura was driving.

Metropolitan traffic authorities say Marte died when the Mercedes Benz he was driving hit a house along a road between San Francisco de Macoris and Pimentel, about 95 miles north of the capital.

Both were playing in the Dominican winter league with the Aguilas Cibaenas team.

"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."

Phillies shortstop J.P. Crawford shared his thoughts of the tragic accident on Twitter:

The Phillies organization also shared their condolences following the tragic news.

"I feel a lot of sadness because they were friends of mine. I'm sending my condolences to their families. The whole baseball world is in mourning," Cabrera said.

In a bizarre coincidence, Ventura struck our Marte in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 5, 2014, Marte's final game in the major league. He played both the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the KT Wiz of the KBO League.

Ventura had a 38-31 career record with a 3.89 ERA in 4 seasons with the Royals.

Marte played for several teams over this seven-year career,  but spent the most time with the Cleveland Indians. He had a .218 batting average with 21 home runs and 99 RBI in 308 career games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.