Royals turn to Ventura in Game 2

— -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Yordano Ventura's defining moment in the 2014 postseason could have easily occurred in the American League wild-card play-in game, when he pitched in an unfamiliar role out of the Kansas City Royals' bullpen and gave up a potentially crushing homer to the Oakland A's Brandon Moss. It was the type of confidence-sapping failure on a grand stage that could have haunted him for a while. At the very least, it prompted a few Internet alarmists to mention Salomon Torres, the former Giants prospect who experienced the mother of all meltdowns on the final day of the 1993 season.

Future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez was Ventura's champion and biggest advocate on that evening, tearing into Royals manager Ned Yost for putting the kid in such a difficult spot and giving Ventura the equivalent of a personal pep talk on national TV. It wasn't your fault, Martinez told Ventura. Keep your head up and things will be fine. It was a less emotional, baseball version of the speech Robin Williams delivered to Matt Damon near the end of "Good Will Hunting."