Former Major League Baseball player Gorkys Hernandez confirmed Saturday that his wife, Deisy, died in the earthquakes that devastated Venezuela. Deisy Hernandez, 36, was reportedly at a luxury hotel with family members of other players from Hernandez's team, the La Guaira Delfines, when the back-to-back earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, struck on Wednesday.
Gorkys Hernandez, 38, shared a heartfelt tribute to his wife on social media, calling her the "queen of my life." He wrote, "You are and always will be the most beautiful, lovely, precious, the best woman in the world, the one who always found a way to lift me up in bad times."
He described her as his "warrior" and vowed to fulfill a mission they shared, stating, "Give strength, love of my life, because we had a mission, and here I am to fulfill it for you."
Hernandez and his teammates reportedly rushed to the hotel after the earthquakes but were unable to save his wife. As of Saturday evening, the death toll from the earthquakes had reached 1,430.
Hernandez, a native of Venezuela, played six seasons in MLB. He made his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012 and also played for the San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox. He is currently signed to a team in his native country.