Dodgers new backup catcher has family missing after Venezuelan earthquakes

Eliezer Alfonzo had waited a lifetime for the call he got Friday.So, too, had his 16-year-old little sister.“One of her dreams was watching me play in the big leagues,” the Dodgers’ new backup catcher said.“And today I have the opportunity to be here, being part of a big-league team.”Indeed, the 26-year-old Alfonzo was called up by the Dodgers on Saturday, after receiving word the previous night that his decade-long odyssey through the minor leagues was finally about to be over.His long-awaited arrival, however, has come against the most heart-wrenching of backdrops, with Alfonzo’s sister, Eliana, and stepmother, Patricia, missing in the wake of last week’s devastating earthquakes in his home country of Venezuela.“I’m not gonna lie to you,” Alfonzo said.

“Last week was probably one of the toughest weeks of my life.”At the time of the earthquakes, Alfonzo’s sister and stepmother were staying in the Hotel Eduards in Macuto, tagging along with Alfonzo’s father, former MLB catcher and current Venezuelan league manager Eliezer Sr., as his team played along the country’s Atlantic coast north of the capital of Caracas.While Eliezer Sr.was already at the ballpark when a pair of 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck on the evening of June 24, his wife and daughter were still believed to be at the hotel, which was housing several other family members of players and coaches in the league.The hotel collapsed in the temblors, leading to the confirmed death of at least two players’ wives.But, after rescuers pulled the Alfonzos’ family dog out of the rubble Friday, he and his relatives are still desperately holding out hope of finding Eliana and Patricia alive.“I don’t know if I’m gonna see her again or not,” Alfonzo said.

“But I’m pretty sure God’s gonna give me the blessing to let her see me play here in the big leagues.”Alfonzo expressed deep gratitude for all the support he has received in the Dodgers’ organization duri...