After two earthquakes on June 24 devastated Venezuela’s La Guaira state, 12-year-old baseball shortstop Yeferson Seijas is now living with his family in a makeshift tent on an abandoned baseball field. His home was destroyed, and he says friends from his community were injured, orphaned, dead, or missing—while he continues to train and throw the ball even as he copes with the grief of what he lost.
Seijas, who played and trained in and around the same field that has become a shelter, is among thousands classified as homeless by Venezuela’s government following the disaster. The family of eight—Yeferson, his parents and five siblings—lost everything from electronics and shoes to baseball gear and trophies. Without power or cell service, they still learned quickly which players and parents were hurt.
For Kansas baseball fans, the story includes a personal link: trainer Franklin Longa, who points out local prospects at the same field, previously trained Maikel García of the Kansas City Royals. Longa says the catastrophe has “hurt us all,” describing how a planned event was canceled the day of the disaster due to rain, and then the earthquakes struck later.
Even with an uncertain future for practice space, leagues, and opportunities, Seijas remains focused on the sport—counting himself lucky to be alive and expressing a desire to provide for his family and help buy his mother a house. KMBC 9 reports.