Former Mets pitcher narrowly escapes death in Venezuela earthquakes thanks to elevator malfunction

Thousands are feared dormant successful Venezuela aft 2 monolithic earthquakes, but a erstwhile MLB pitcher is 1 of nan fortunate ones.

Jenrry Mejia, who now pitches successful nan Venezuelan Major League, said that divine involution successful an elevator saved his life during the earthquakes.

Speaking to a Dominican power station, Mejia said he had conscionable vanished moving retired astatine nan Hotel Eduards successful La Guaira when, alternatively of going to nan level wherever he was staying, nan elevator took him to nan lobby, allowing him to escape.

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Jenrry Mejia of nan New York Mets pitches against nan Cincinnati Reds astatine Citi Field successful New York City connected April 4, 2014. The Mets defeated nan Reds 4-3. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

"I was successful nan gym area. And astatine that moment, I took nan elevator to leave," Mejia told "Mañana Deportiva."

"In fact, I had pressed number 6, which was wherever my level was. But … I deliberation it was God because alternatively of going up, it went down to nan basement," he continued. "The doorway opened straight into nan lobby. That’s erstwhile I came retired and nan building started to collapse."

Mejia helped an older man retired of nan edifice and believes nan 2 of them are nan only ones to make it retired of nan edifice alive.

Jenrry Mejia pitches successful nan ninth inning for his 28th prevention against nan Washington Nationals successful crippled 1 of a doubleheader astatine Nationals Park successful Washington, D.C., connected Sept. 25, 2014. The Mets won 7-4. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

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"The others are still there, trapped under the rubble," he said.

The hotel, according to nan New York Post, citing section reports, was hosting nan families of players and unit members from nan Delfines and nan Guerreros de Lara shot teams, pinch relatives of erstwhile MLB players Eliezer Alfonso and Gorkys Hernández missing.

Mejia sounded parts of 5 seasons for nan New York Mets, becoming their person successful 2014, 1 twelvemonth earlier they made it to nan World Series. However, he yet became nan first shot subordinate to beryllium banned from Major League Baseball for life for violating its performance-enhancing supplier policy.

Responders hunt for victims successful a demolished building successful Caracas, Venezuela, aft a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and a 7.5 aftershock struck nan region connected June 24, 2026. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

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Mejia was suspended for 80 games for his first discourtesy successful 2015. After pitching successful 7 games, he tested affirmative again and was fixed a 162-game suspension. The pursuing February, he tested affirmative for a 3rd time, prompting his ban. He has since applied for and been granted reinstatement but has not sounded successful nan awesome leagues since. He did play minor-league shot for nan Boston Red Sox organization.

The decease toll has risen to 589 pinch thousands reported missing.

Venezuela won nan World Baseball Classic earlier this year.

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