Former MLB catcher searches for wife and daughter after Venezuela earthquake

Rescuers pulled a family dog alive from the rubble of the Hotel Eduards in Macuto on Friday after two earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24. Former MLB catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, 47, said he obtained heavy machinery in his hometown of Puerto La Cruz and arranged its five-hour transport to the site.

The equipment helped search crews locate a patch of hair that turned out to be the family dog, which barked before being removed from the debris. Alfonzo also reported that crews recovered his wife’s cell phone. He told local reporter Maryorin Méndez that the dog’s survival gave him hope his wife, Patricia Alfonzo, 50, and daughter, Eliana Alfonzo, 16, remain alive.

m. local time with his wife and daughter, who holds U.S. citizenship. m. game and last spoke to his wife about 30 minutes before first pitch. , followed 39 seconds later by a 7.5-magnitude event. Two other players’ wives were found dead under the same rubble.

Alfonzo said search dogs have detected signs of life and stated he will continue efforts until his wife and daughter are recovered. , 26, was called up to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday; another son, Omar Alfonzo, 22, plays in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system.