My effort in pointing this out is not to taint the legacy of these players. We remember actors like Chris Farley and John Belushi, and the laughs they brought us while also not forgetting that it was drug abuse that caused their deaths. Much in the way that President Ronald Reagan diagnosis ofAlzheimer’s disease made the illness a more prominent issue, a hero’s legacy can be equally drawn from their life and death.

In a similar way, the commonalities between the deaths of Ventura and Fernández should not be ignored for the sake of reverence. Each of them died operating a vehicle—Ventura, a car, and Fernández, a boat—recklessly and while intoxicated. Furthermore, Ventura was not wearing his seat belt, and Fernández had cocaine in his blood, something “totally out of character” for him, according to the family’s attorney. To make matters worse, though ESPN’s Christian Moreno reported that Ventura was “under the influence” at the time of the accident, Dominican authorities did not and will notrelease Ventura’s toxicology report to corroborate the claim.

It is already known that driving under the influence kills tens of thousands of people every year in the United States alone. There’s also NHTSA’s snappy “click it or ticket”campaign on seatbelts. Speeding also causes deaths similar in volume to drunk driving.

Unsuccessful efforts like these are frequently made by the United States government in order to curb dangerous behavior or bring awareness to prominent issues, but putting a well-known face on these issues can bring them to light without ruining the person’s legacy. If anything, it enhances it. Reagan is remembered first as an American president, not as a man who died of Alzheimer’s disease. Robin William’s suicide brought attention to mental illness without diminishing his laughter-filled career. Anthony Hopkins, best known as the frightening Hannibal Lecter, has shown how one can recover from alcoholism. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is best remembered as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the baseball legend made his illness public.

It’s true that the vice that took Ventura and Fernández, unlike a surprise illness, was largely preventable. But that doesn’t make their deaths any less tragic, nor does it mean that remembering the causes of their deaths would turn young baseball stars into reckless drunkards. There’s a reason that NHTSA doesn’t campaign against drinking itself. All it takes is a thought of “I’m fine, I can drive” to turn a night of celebration into a night of tragedy. Reckless driving campaigns would be far more effective with the faces of Ventura and Fernández, baseball superstars, than an unnamed teenager sending a text at the wheel. So now that we’ve mourned and said our goodbyes to the both of them, it’s time we start talking about how tragedies like these can be avoided in the future.

Photo courtesy of the Kansas City Star.

The MLB has lost multiple players to accidents in the D.R. in the past few years. Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras died in a car crash with his girlfriend in the Dominican in 2014. Ventura, pitching in Game 6 of the World Series only days after this news had hit, wrote “R.I.P. O.T. #18” on his hat to honor his friend during the game. Former third baseman Andy Martes died the same day as Ventura in a different auto accident in the D.R.

Ventura was the type of player people either loved or loved to hate. Royals fans praised his velocity, which registered up to 102 mph. He came in clutch in Royals postseason games, specifically during game 6 of the 2014 World Series, when he recovered from five walks and three hits in seven innings and forced the series to go to seven.

However, he also caused the management a few headaches throughout his career. He caused brawls during three consecutive starts in the 2015 season for verbal disagreements and intentionally hitting batters. And people say that baseball is boring.

During his short three year career in the majors, he managed to make a name for himself by starting in 93 of his 94 appearances. He became one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the league and secured 38 wins with an ERA of 3.89 and a total of 470 career strikeouts.

Royals players and coaches traveled to the D.R. to support the Ventura family during the funeral services. The Royals organization is overwhelmed with support and memorabilia, but they want to keep this honor within the team for now. Out of respect, they have decided not to sell gear with Ventura’s name on it to the public. Instead, they will wear jerseys with a special patch that says “ACE 30” to honor their former teammate. Pitcher Danny Duffy bought Ventura’s bobblehead on eBay and plans to send it to his mother, and a memorial fund has been established that will go towards improving baseball facilities in the D.R. The team has still not decided how they will approach Spring Training and Opening Day.

Ventura entered the majors at a pivotal time for the Royals, and he left them too soon. He was part of their first postseason run in 29 years. He was part of the 255,000 gathered for the World Series Parade. He was part of Kansas City, and he was a part of the game. His legacy will live on with the team, and the fans will not forget him.