For Eliezer Alfonzo Jr., what should have been the happiest week of his baseball career has instead become one of unimaginable heartbreak.
The Los Angeles Dodgers catcher was promoted to the major leagues on July 4 and is expected to make his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres on Sunday night. Yet the milestone comes only hours after devastating news from Venezuela confirmed that his mother, Patricia Alfonzo, 50, and his 16-year-old sister, Eliana, were found dead beneath the rubble left by last month’s powerful earthquakes.
The two had been missing since June 24, when a pair of massive earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck just seconds apart, causing widespread destruction. Patricia and Eliana were staying at the Hotel Eduards in Macuto when the building collapsed.
Hope Turned to Heartbreak
Earlier in the week, Alfonzo Jr.’s father, former major league catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, had remained determined to find them. After heavy machinery was brought in to assist rescue workers, search efforts produced a brief moment of hope when the family’s dog was rescued alive after barking from beneath the debris. Patricia’s cell phone was also recovered, fueling optimism that both women might still be alive.
That hope ultimately gave way to tragedy. Reports on Sunday confirmed that Patricia and Eliana had been recovered from the wreckage, but neither survived.
The elder Alfonzo had left the hotel on June 24 to join his Venezuelan League club, Delfines de La Guaira, which he manages. Before first pitch, he spoke with his wife one final time as she and Eliana prepared to travel to the stadium. Moments later, the earthquakes struck.
After rescuing the family dog, Alfonzo told local reporter Maryorin Mendez that he refused to abandon hope. “If my daughter’s little dog turned up, I think the two of them are in there,” he said. “I know my wife and daughter are real fighters.”
Dodgers Rally Around Rookie Catcher
Speaking before Sunday’s game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts struggled to put the situation into words.
“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.”
The Dodgers manager paused as emotion overtook him.
“I don’t wanna go too far ’cause I’ll get emotional. It’s tough, very tough.”
Against that backdrop, Alfonzo Jr. now faces one of the most emotional moments any athlete could imagine. The 26-year-old signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers in November that included an invitation to spring training before beginning the season with the Oklahoma City Comets. His promotion to Los Angeles was the culmination of years of work, but it now arrives alongside overwhelming personal loss.
Earthquake Leaves Thousands Dead
The disaster claimed many other lives connected to the sports community. It is believed the wives of Delfines de La Guaira players Gorkys Hernandez and Harold Chirinos were also found beneath the rubble. The wife of former MLB outfielder Gorkys Hernandez was among those killed, while Argentine soccer player Lucas Trejo also lost his wife and children in the catastrophe.
On Friday, Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the official death toll had climbed to 2,595.
As Alfonzo Jr. prepares to take the field for his major league debut, the occasion comes under circumstances few could ever imagine. The long-awaited milestone in his baseball career now follows the devastating loss of his mother and younger sister, making what should have been a celebratory moment one marked by profound grief.
