Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. has been rocked by a heartbreaking family tragedy after his mother and sister were both found dead following last month’s earthquakes in Venezuela.
Alfonzo Jr., who was only called up to the major leagues by the Dodgers this week, is still expected to make his debut against the San Diego Padres on Sunday night despite the distressing news.
The 26-year-old’s mother Patricia, 50, and sister Eliana, 16, had been missing ever since the devastating earthquakes struck on June 24.
His father, former MLB catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, said earlier this week that he had secured the heavy machinery needed to help rescue crews search the wreckage of the Hotel Eduards in Macuto, where Patricia and Eliana disappeared.
The machinery initially helped rescue Eliana’s dog, who is said to have let out a bark before being removed from the debris, as well as Patricia’s cell phone.
However, on Sunday various reports confirmed that the pair were found deceased after being pulled out of the rubble.
Dodgers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo Jr.’s mother and daughter have been found dead after last month’s Venezuela earthquakes
Patricia, 50, and Eliana, 16, Alfonzo had been missing since the earthquakes struck on June 24
The Daily Mail has contacted the Los Angeles Dodgers for comment.
Ahead of their game against San Diego, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Alfonzo Jr. is still set to make his MLB debut despite the unimaginable tragedy he and his family are going through.
‘I haven’t seen him today, and don’t really know what to say about it, outside of my heart goes out to him and his family,’ Roberts told reporters. ‘So he is in there, he is gonna play today. But obviously heavy heart’s not even justifying it.
‘I don’t wanna go too far ’cause I’ll get emotional. It’s tough, very tough.’
The 47-year-old Alfonzo was holding onto hope of finding his wife and daughter after rescuing the family dog earlier this week.
‘If my daughter’s little dog turned up, I think the two of them are in there,’ he told local reporter Maryorin Mendez. ‘I know my wife and daughter are real fighters.’
He checked into Hotel Eduards on June 24 with Patricia and Eliana, who is a US citizen, before leaving to head to Estadio Forum La Guaira to join up with Delfines de La Guaira, the team he manages, ahead of a game that evening.
Alfonzo Jr. is still expected to make his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres on Sunday
His father, ex-MLB catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, had brought in machinery to help find the pair
Alfonzo, 47, pictured with Patricia, Eliana and his second son, Omar, back in 2020
Alfonzo, who played for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies, said he last spoke to his wife about half an hour before the first pitch as she and Eliana were getting ready to head to the game.
That was just before the first earthquake was registered with a 7.2 magnitude at 6:04pm, followed by a 7.5 magnitude quake 39 seconds later.
It is believed Delfines de La Guaira players Gorkys Hernandez and Harold Chirinos’s wives were also found dead under the rubble.
On Friday, Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the death toll had risen to 2,595.
The wife of former MLB player Gorkys Hernandez also died after the earthquakes, as did the wife and children of Argentine soccer player Lucas Trejo.
Alfonzo Jr. signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers back in November, which included an invitation to major league spring training.
After being assigned to the Oklahoma City Comets, he was officially called up to the major leagues on July 4th.
