Astros gather relief supplies for Venezuela earthquake victims
-
José de Jesus Ortiz, Founder & Editor in Chief
- July 3, 2026
‘You are not alone’ Joe Espada says to Venezuela
HOUSTON – In between hugs and selfies, Jose Altuve walked over to greet Houstonians at their cars Thursday morning outside Daikin Park. The man already considered the greatest player in Astros history spent part of a rare day off in the 162-game schedule working for Venezuela.
Wearing a black polo, white hat, sweatpants and tennis shoes, Altuve joined Astros manager Joe Espada, bench coach Omar Lopez, bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte and several Astros employees and volunteers for the Astros’ relief supply drive for victims of the deadly earthquakes that hit Venezuela on June 24.
Former MLB All-Star shortstop Omar Vizquel, a Venezuelan icon who lives in the Houston area, also attended the drive to lend his support.
‘You’re not alone’
“Venezuela, at this time we are united,” said Espada, who was born in Puerto Rico, the land of Roberto Clemente. “We’re praying for you, and at the same time we’re in this together. Between Houston (and Venezuela) there’s a lot of miles and the distance is great, but the heart is together.
“We’re here united. We’re helping, and these supplies will get there very soon. We will help lift the city and the people of Venezuela. You are not alone. We are there for you.”
More from Our Esquina
Team Venezuela marches to its own Tambor
Venezuela beats U.S. for first World Baseball Classic title
Astros make right move, extend icon Jose Altuve
Preferring to focus on greeting volunteers and fans dropping off donations, Altuve politely declined to speak to the media. He broke into a smile a few times, but he often kept a solemn if not sad look on his face during group photos.
More than 500 people were killed and at least 4,500 were injured by the earthquakes’ devastation in the Venezuelan cities of La Guaira and Caracas. Thousands are still missing under the rubble of downed buildings.
The Astros were on the road when Venezuela was hit by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake followed less than a minute later by a 7.5 magnitude quake. Soon after they returned to Houston for a three-game homestand, the Astros Foundation set the relief drive for Thursday, the team’s day off.
‘It means everything’
“It means everything,” Lopez said of Houston’s support for Venezuela. “It’s telling me that the world is united right now to help a country that has been going through a lot for 25-plus years.”
Lopez, 49, wore a Blue Venezuelan cap and the white Venezuelan jersey he wore during one of the World Baseball Classic games he managed in March. The jersey was signed in the back by the squad who won the 2026 WBC title, the first in Venezuelan history.
Many in Venezuela consider the 2026 WBC title the greatest athletic feat in their baseball-mad South American country. Unlike most other South American countries, Venezuelans love baseball as much as soccer if not more.
Lopez and his WBC squad brought Venezuela plenty of joy. Now Venezuelans in the big leagues hope to help the country heal.
“Crazy as a coach as a manager for the WBC a couple months ago we were able to give … all my country probably their most exciting moment in their life,” Lopez said. “Now we’re going through this.
“To see Houston, see all the fan base for the Houston Astros, all the cities, all these counties around stop by all around Texas … all those neighbors getting together to send something over to Venezuela, that means a lot to us. The only thing that I can say is thank you and God bless all of us.”
Local businesses step up
Astros sponsor HEB showed up with a trailer of food. Plenty of clothes and supplies for babies and children – diapers, wipes, new bottles – were donated. The Astros also collected new temporary household needs and hygiene products.
The Astros collected non-perishable food items such as cases of water, canned goods, dried fruits and vegetables, snacks and meals ready to eat. Yariluz Bogarin and Fabiola Cuba were eager to send relief supplies to their countryman back in Venezuela, and they were grateful that their company Salata agreed to donate a pallet of bags of oatmeal.
They dreaded waiting a week or two for the food to get to the earthquake victims, so they were pleased to know the Astros could get the supplies to the victims quicker. Bogarin and Cuba showed up to the Astros’ relief supply drive on Thursday morning with their company’s pallet of oatmeal.
“For us it’s a blessing for the Astros to do this for Venezuela,” Bogarin said. “It’s also satisfying for Salata and Salata Dressing because they’re with Venezuela, and to do this through the Astros is a blessing.”
Lead art courtesy of Houston Astros.
José de Jesus Ortiz
Founder & Editor in Chief
Award-winning writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz, a former lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has covered Major League Baseball since 1997 in Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, New York and Houston. He was the first Latino to serve as president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Stay in the Loop
Get the Our Esquina Email Newsletter
By submitting your email, you are agreeing to receive additional communications and exclusive content from Our Esquina. You can unsubscribe at any time.