Former Major League Baseball pitcher Jenrry Mejia recounted how an unexpected elevator malfunction saved his life during the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela, leaving hundreds feared dead.
Mejia, who last pitched in the major leagues in 2015 and previously played for the New York Mets, was at the Hotel Eduards in La Guaira when the tremors hit. He stated that he had just finished a workout and intended to go to his hotel floor, pressing button number 6. However, the elevator unexpectedly traveled to the basement.
"The door opened directly into the lobby. That’s when I came out and the building started to collapse," Mejia told a Dominican radio station. He believes this anomaly was divine intervention.
Mejia reported assisting an elderly man out of the collapsing hotel and believes they may be the only survivors from the building. He indicated that others were trapped beneath the rubble. The hotel was reportedly housing families of players and staff from the Delfines and Guerreros de Lara baseball teams. Relatives of former MLB players Eliezer Alfonso and Gorkys Hernández are reported to be among the missing.
Earthquakes in Venezuela
The earthquakes have devastated parts of Venezuela, with the death toll rising to 589 and thousands reported missing. The U.S. military, through SOUTHCOM, is supporting U.S. government relief operations in the nation following the disaster.
Mejia's MLB career was cut short when he became the first player to receive a lifetime ban for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. He received suspensions in 2015 for positive tests and was subsequently banned after a third positive test. He has since been reinstated but has not returned to the major leagues, though he did play in the minor leagues for the Boston Red Sox organization.