Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. made his MLB debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series finale against the San Diego Padres, but a day that should have been one of the most joyous of his life was instead one of the most difficult.
Just hours before Alfonzo took the field for his MLB debut, his stepmom, Patricia, and younger sister, Elaina, were found dead in the rubble of a collapsed building following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela on June 24.
“Just a really tough day,” Alfonzo said through an interpreter after the Dodgers’ loss. “Tough day for me and my family. Obviously, things are out of our control. I was very grateful and thankful to God for the opportunity to make my debut and play in this game, but obviously, things didn’t go well on the baseball diamond.
“But yeah, overall, just a very difficult day.”
The Dodgers called up Alfonzo on Saturday to replace Chuckie Robinson on the active roster. After joining the club, Alfonzo said he was hopeful his sister would be found alive to see him play at the Major League level.
However, after receiving the news, Alfonzo had support from his father and brother, who are both currently in Venezuela, as well as from his agent and girlfriend.
“They’ve been helping me through this, just trying to navigate through this whole day,” Alfonzo said. “They’ve been telling me or asking me to enjoy the moment, enjoy this time, and just kind of processing that.
“But I’ve had great support from my teammates as well, ever since I got here yesterday.”
Alfonzo said he did not consider sitting out of the game after talking to his father and brother. Eliezer Alfonzo Sr. is a former MLB catcher who spent six seasons in the Major Leagues.
Alfonzo also wanted to play because he felt that’s what his sister would have wanted and that she would have been proud to watch him live out his dream as an MLB player.
“Just going out there and doing the best I can,” Alfonzo said. “Just remembering how my sister supported me, and how her dream was to watch me playing these games, playing the big leagues, and just hearing her screams, or hearing her cheers, just something that’s going to keep me pushing forward.”
By the time the game started, many Dodgers fans were aware of the tragedy Alfonzo and his family were dealing with. When he stepped up to the plate for his first career at-bat, fans gave him a standing ovation.
“I was super excited, very emotional when I heard those cheers, but it’s something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Alfonzo said.
Miguel Rojas, who has been close with the Alfonzo family for nearly two decades, said the loss affected him as if it were his own family members. He also became a key supporting piece for Alfonzo, dating back to Spring Training after he first signed with the club as a Minor League Free agent.
Rojas’ advice to Alfonzo on Sunday was simple: “Just try to enjoy it as much as possible, and I’m here if you need anything.”
Rojas added: “I know for a fact that if Eliezer could be there with his dad, he would be, but we are professional baseball players, we are trying to go after a dream that is not just our dream.
“I’m pretty sure he feels the same way. This is the dream of his sister, his father, his whole family, and he’s been working really hard to get this opportunity. I’m just proud of the way that he approached everything that happened to him today.
“But at the same time, it’s really hard to put this moment into context, because it’s never easy to lose a family member, especially when something like that happened, and all we can do right here as a club is be here for him, and lift him up in these tough moments.”
Rojas’ wife and children were also in Venezuela during the earthquakes, and he was working to get them back to the United States. Edgardo Henriquez shared that the earthquakes did not impact his family.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts offered his support to the Alfonzo family and to everyone affected by the earthquakes in Venezuela and shared what he saw from the young backstop.
“It was keeping emotions inside, just happy for him,” Roberts said. “He realized a dream today. 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 now after, today is going to really hit him and deal with his reality.
“All of us feel for him and his father, who I know, their family, and so it’s just devastating. Miggy and Edgardo (Henriquez) have family there, among other players in the big leagues, and people in Venezuela, but we weren’t kind of directly impacted until Eliezer, part of our organization was directly impacted, so that’s what hits home even more — right or wrong — but our hearts break for them, and we’re going to be here to support them in any way we possibly can.”
MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) recently made a $1 million joint donation in support of those affected by the Venezuela earthquakes. The financial donation to the Red Cross was to help provide emergency assistance such as shelter, healthcare, mental health services, access to safe water and the distribution of essential relief items.
Eliezer Alfonzo recalls message from sister
As Alfonzo continued to credit his sister for supporting him on his journey to become a Major League player, he was asked what he thought his sister would have told him about finally achieving his dream.
Rather than let the interpreter translate, he shared his answer in English.
“This is a tough moment, because 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, and I’m pretty sure the dream was something about this,” Alfonzo said.
“I wish she was alive to watch me play 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 am going to have.”
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