Dodgers: Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. Makes His MLB Debut Under Tragic Circumstances

Northern Venezuela was rocked by two earthquakes on June 24. The quakes, which measured 7.2 and 7.5 on the magnitude scale, respectively, caused severe damage throughout the region, with the cities of La Guaira and Caracas suffering the most extensive destruction.

Since then, the death toll has continued to rise, with more than 3,000 people reported dead and more than 16,000 injured.

And this has had repercussions even in Major League Baseball. In fact, Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. made his MLB debut yesterday (Sunday), starting at catcher and batting ninth in the lineup against the San Diego Padres.

All of this took place under tragic circumstances, as Alfonzo's mother-in-law, Patricia, and his sister, Eliana, were reportedly found dead in the rubble of a collapsed hotel in La Guaira that same day—eleven days after the two earthquakes devastated the country.

His father, Eliezer Alfonzo Sr., was not present for his son's major league debut, as he remains in Venezuela leading rescue operations. Alfonzo Sr. is himself a former MLB catcher, having spent six seasons with the San Francisco Giants, the Padres, the Seattle Mariners, and the Colorado Rockies from 2006 to 2011.

It's not important under the circumstances, but Alfonzo Jr. did not record a hit in two at-bats before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the seventh inning.

He's going through a whole range of emotions right now.

I'm trying really hard to support my dad; I talk to him every day, and I try to be there for him. It's a little difficult from here because I'd like to be there with him, supporting him every day.

A sad story.

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