Alfonzo debuts for Dodgers amid Venezuela quake tragedy
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- Eliezer Alfonzo made his MLB debut Sunday starting at catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Diego Padres, hours after learning his 16-year-old sister Eliana and stepmother Patricia were confirmed among the dead from Venezuela's earthquakes.
- Eliana and Patricia had been missing since June 24, when two earthquakes exceeding magnitude 7 struck northern Venezuela; the death toll had risen to 3,342 by Sunday's game.
- Alfonzo, 26, spent nine years in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system before signing with the Dodgers as a minor league free agent in November and slashing .313/.392/.422 across 49 Triple-A games, earning a call-up as Dalton Rushing's backup with primary catcher Will Smith sidelined by a neck injury.
- Alfonzo wrote "EyP RIP" on the bill of his cap, went 0-for-2 with a groundout and flyout before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, and drew a loud ovation from a Dodger Stadium crowd of 46,506 in the Dodgers' 5-2 loss.
- Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas, a fellow Venezuelan whose wife and children were two blocks from the collapsed buildings, wrote "Alfonzo" and "Fuerza Matatan" on his own cap to honor Alfonzo's father — a former major league catcher revered as an icon in Venezuela.
Why it matters: With Will Smith still sidelined by a neck injury and the All-Star Game approaching, the Dodgers turned to Alfonzo as Dalton Rushing's backup — a call-up that came hours after his sister and stepmother were confirmed among the 3,342 dead from Venezuela's earthquakes. The disaster's reach now extends into MLB clubhouses: fellow Venezuelan Miguel Rojas's family was two blocks from the collapsed buildings, and both players wore tributes on their caps during Sunday's game.
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