An elevator going down instead of up may have saved the life of former New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia.
Mejia, who pitched for the Mets from 2010-15, was staying at the Hotel Eduard in La Guaira when the doublet earthquake struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening. According to Dominican newspaper Diario Libre, Mejia had just finished working out in the hotel’s gym when the earthquakes struck.
“I was in the gym area And at that moment I took the elevator to leave,” Mejia told Dominican radio show Mañana Deportiva. He was in the elevator going back to his room at the hotel.
“In fact, I had pressed number six, which was where my floor was. But… I think it was God because instead of going up, it went down to the basement,” Mejía said on the radio show.
“The door opened directly into the lobby. That’s when I came out and the building started to collapse,” Mejía said, noting the building collapsed in approximately 40 seconds.
As the building collapsed, Mejia helped an elderly man out of the hotel.
“I think only he and I (got out of the Hotel eduard alive), the others are still there, trapped under the rubble,” Mejia told the radio show.
Omar Lopez: “It’s Frustrating” – Houston Astros bench coach Omar Lopez, who managed Venezuela to the 2026 World Baseball Classic title, addressed the earthquakes in his native Venezuela prior to the Astros’ Thursday game against Detroit.
“It’s frustrating,” López told The Athletic. “Three months ago we were able to do something special and now, three months later, we have to go through the sad, frustrating part. We’re doing our best right now to support our community and our country from the distance.”
