nypost
The biggest moment of Eliezer Alfonzos professional career will come amid the darkest moment of his personal life.
Ahead of Alfonzos MLB debut on Sunday, reports from Venezuela confirmed that his stepmother and 16-year-old little sister who had both been missing in the rubble of a hotel following last months devastating earthquakes in the country had been found dead.
The news came a day after Alfonzo said his family was still holding out hope of finding the two alive.
I dont know if Im gonna see her again or not, Alfonzo told The California Post on Saturday of his sister, Eliana, whom he said had been as eager to see him reach the majors as he had.
But Im pretty sure Gods gonna give me the blessing to let her see me play here in the big leagues.
According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Alfonzo was still set to start Sundays game behind the plate despite the tragedy.
Alfonzo, the 26-year-old son of former MLB veteran catcher Eliezer Alfonzo Sr., has spent almost a decade in the minors awaiting his first big-league opportunity.
I dont really know what to say about it, outside of my heart goes out to him and his family, Roberts said.
He is in there.
Hes going to play today.
But obviously, heavy heart is not even justifying.
So, yeah, I dont really want to go too far because Ill get emotional.
I dont know.
I know its tough.
Its very tough.
A longtime farmhand of the Twins who signed with the Dodgers as a minor-league free agent this offseason, Alfonzo received his first career call-up after hitting .313 with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.
Upon arriving in the Dodgers clubhouse on Saturday, he expressed gratitude for the support he had received from the organization and his teammates.
Im not gonna lie to you, Alfonzo said.
Last week was probably one of the toughest weeks of my life.
Still, his family hadnt given up on finding his sister and stepmom alive, hoping their prayers could still be answered after finding their family dog still alive Friday.
Instead, on a day that should have been a high point in Alfonzos baseball career, he was hit with the most heartbreaking of news.
I know its difficult with everything that is happening right now, he had said the day before.
But at the same time, I got my country, my family, on my heart, on my mind.
Everything I do is because of them.
So Im gonna make them proud.