What happened: Catcher Eliezer Alfonzo made his MLB debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, hours after his stepmother Patricia and 16-year-old sister Eliana were found dead in the rubble of the Hotel Eduards in Macuto, Venezuela, where they had been missing since the June 24 earthquakes. Alfonzo took the field with "E y P, RIP" written on his cap, while fellow Venezuelan teammate Miguel Rojas wore his own message of recognition for the Alfonzo family.
Why it matters: The 26-year-old son of former big-league catcher Eliezer Alfonzo Sr. spent nearly a decade in the minors, much of it as a Minnesota Twins farmhand, before signing with the Dodgers as a minor-league free agent this offseason and earning his first call-up. His father had been managing a Venezuelan league game when the quakes struck and spent more than a week overseeing the search for his wife and daughter, a vigil that ended just before the debut Alfonzo's sister had been waiting to see.
By the numbers: Alfonzo hit .313 at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season to earn the promotion. The Dodgers sit at 59-31, winners of three straight, scoring 5.3 runs per game while allowing 3.5.
What to watch: The Dodgers host the 36-54 Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium, where Alfonzo's role behind the plate in the days ahead will show how Los Angeles plans to use its newest catcher.