07/05/26 11:39:00
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07/05 23:37 CDT Dodgers' Elizer Alfonzo makes MLB debut with sister,
stepmother still missing in Venezuela quakes
Dodgers' Elizer Alfonzo makes MLB debut with sister, stepmother still missing
in Venezuela quakes
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- When the major leagues seemed far away to Elizer Alfonzo
during his near-decade in the minors, the catcher says he always found the
strength to continue by thinking about how proud he would make his family.
He finally stepped onto the Dodger Stadium field for that moment Sunday, but in
heartbreaking circumstances.
Alfonzo's teenage sister and his stepmother --- the wife of his father, former
big leaguer Elizer Alfonzo Sr. --- have both been missing since Venezuela's
catastrophic earthquakes last month. A few hours before the Dodgers' first
pitch against the San Diego Padres, several Latin American media outlets
reported their bodies had just been found.
Alfonzo had only just received his long-awaited callup to the defending World
Series champions on Saturday amid his family's acute uncertainty, which turned
into crushing sadness the following morning.
After speaking to his father, brother and girlfriend, Alfonzo still summoned
the strength to play for the Dodgers, drawing peace from the knowledge of how
much it meant --- not to him, but to 16-year-old Eliana.
"It's a sad, tough moment," Alfonzo said. "Because like three weeks ago, she
told me that she had a beautiful dream, but she wasn't going to tell me
anything until the dream came true. I'm pretty sure the dream was something
about this. I wish she was alive to watch me playing in the big leagues, but I
know she's on God's side now, and she's going to protect me and she's going to
enjoy every moment that I'm going to have playing."
The 26-year-old Alfonzo batted ninth and caught the first seven innings in the
Dodgers' 5-2 loss to the San Diego Padres, going 0 for 2 before being removed
for a pinch hitter.
When Alfonzo first stepped to the plate at hallowed Dodger Stadium in the third
inning, the Los Angeles crowd rose to give him a huge ovation, aware of the
strength required to take these swings.
"I was excited and very emotional when I heard those cheers," Alfonzo said.
"It's something that I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Alfonzo's sister and his stepmother, Patricia, have been missing since multiple
earthquakes hit his homeland on June 24. They were staying at a hotel in La
Guaira, where Alfonzo Sr. reportedly had been searching for them amid the
rubble with heavy equipment in recent days.
When the news reached Dodger Stadium, both teams rallied around Alfonzo. Miguel
Rojas, the Dodgers' veteran Venezuelan infielder, was among several teammates
who hugged and spoke to Alfonzo in the dugout. At the plate, Padres star
Fernando Tatis Jr. appeared to have a heartfelt moment with the catcher.
Rojas, who played against Alfonzo's father in Venezuelan winter ball nearly two
decades ago, understood why Alfonzo would choose to play at a moment of
personal devastation.
"We're trying to go after a dream that is not just our dream, but this is the
dream of his sister, his father, his whole family," Rojas said. "He's been
working really hard to get this opportunity. I'm proud of the way he approached
everything that happened today to him, but at the same time, it's really hard
to put this moment into context. It's never easy to lose a family member, (but)
especially when something like that happens. All we can do as a club is be here
for him and kind of lift him up in these tough moments."
Alfonzo had been waiting for this day since he signed with the Detroit Tigers
in 2016, when he was 16 years old.
He has appeared in 581 minor league games over the past nine seasons, riding
hundreds of buses and enduring innumerable address changes to chase his goal.
He got as far as the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate in Toledo last year before he
signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers last November.
Alfonzo was batting .313 with 17 RBIs for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season,
but he knew he was behind veteran Dodgers starter Will Smith and backup Dalton
Rushing --- and even depth veteran Chuckie Robinson.
Rushing has been LA's starter while Smith has been sidelined for nearly a month
with a neck injury. After Robinson got the first shot at the backup job, the
Dodgers decided to give a chance to Alfonzo right at this unimaginably painful
juncture.
"He realized a dream today," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Obviously that
was certainly on his heart all day, but he did a fantastic job of driving our
pitching staff, compartmentalizing, and I'm sure after today it's going to
really hit him and deal with his reality. All of us feel for him and his
father, who I know, and their family. So it's just devastating."
Alfonzo's father spent parts of six seasons in the majors as a catcher for four
teams from 2006-11. He's extremely popular with Venezuelan players across the
generations, Rojas said, because of his ebullient personality and willingness
to help others pursuing the major league dream.
Rojas said the earthquakes have caused agony for Venezuelan players, even those
who didn't lose family or friends.
"I think I've been in shock the last 10 days," Rojas said. "I know a lot of
family and close friends that are going through it, living everything that's
happening. It's really hard, because I feel like I can't really stop playing,
but at the same time, it's hard to stay present and to stay here, and stay
connected mentally ... because you feel selfish (by) being here and playing.
We're out there having fun and laughing. When I put my head to bed and the show
is over, it's really hard to go to sleep.
"I'm pretty sure a lot of Venezuelans are going through the same thing. I can
tell you that it's been really hard, and I can only imagine how Eliezer is
feeling today."
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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