Omar López had spent weeks organizing what he hoped would be a November parade through Venezuela to honor the national team that won the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but those plans were overtaken by disaster, according to ESPN. López, Venezuela’s manager during the March tournament, told ESPN on June 9 that organizers and players had been communicating and laying groundwork for “the first of its kind.”
On June 24, twin earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 struck northern Venezuela, devastating Caracas and the neighboring state of La Guaira, according to ESPN. The temblors left thousands dead, tens of thousands unaccounted for and caused billions of dollars in damage. On Aug. 3, the Venezuelan government announced the confirmed death toll had risen to 6,125; 60,992 people had been treated in hospitals, 43,679 households had been affected and 346,755 tons of debris had been generated, ESPN reported.
In the wake of the catastrophe, López and members of the championship team agreed the parade should be postponed, with players and coaches instead turning attention to relief efforts, according to ESPN. López has discussed an offseason trip that would gather Venezuelan players to raise funds, host clinics, distribute supplies and help with cleanup. He spoke with players including Salvador Pérez, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Maikel García about the idea, ESPN reported.
Several players voiced the emotional toll. Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar said in Spanish that the team should “get everyone together” not to celebrate but to help, according to ESPN. Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas spent the final week of June in shock after family members in Caracas were near collapsed buildings; Rojas said he was grateful his wife and two American-born children were safe but deeply saddened for those who were not, ESPN reported. Boston’s Willson Contreras was seen in tears in the dugout on June 29, according to ESPN.
The human cost became personal for others: Dodgers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo learned his 16-year-old sister and his stepmother had been found dead in rubble, and he made his major league debut hours later, ESPN reported. Sixty Venezuelan-born players were on Opening Day major league rosters, and many continue to navigate their jobs with a sense of longing and guilt about not being able to do more for their homeland, according to ESPN.
