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Dodgers' Eliézer Alfonzo makes MLB debut with sister, stepmother still missing in Venezuela quakes
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- Dodgers' Eliézer Alfonzo makes MLB debut with sister, stepmother still missing in Venezuela quakes
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the major leagues seemed far away to Eliézer 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.
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Alfonzo's teenage sister and his stepmother — the wife of his father, former big leaguer Eliézer 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."
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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."
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
