Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. Makes Major League Debut During Family Tragedy
Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. 在家人遭遇不幸之際完成大聯盟首秀
Introduction
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. made his professional debut on Sunday, at the same time he received news that two of his family members had died in Venezuela.
洛杉磯道傑隊接球手 Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. 在週日完成了他的職業生涯首秀，而與此同時，他收到消息稱有兩位家人在委內瑞拉去世。
Main Body
Alfonzo was called up to the major league roster on July 4 because Will Smith suffered a neck injury. Before this, Alfonzo had performed well in Triple-A Oklahoma City with a .313 batting average. However, his promotion happened while he was worried about his stepmother, Patricia, and his sister, Eliana, who were missing after powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela on June 24 and 25. On the morning of his first game, he received confirmation that both women had died when a hotel collapsed.
由於 Will Smith 頸部受傷，Alfonzo 在 7 月 4 日被升上大聯盟名單。在此之前，Alfonzo 在 Triple-A Oklahoma City 表現出色，打擊率為 .313。然而，他在被升隊時正擔心他的繼母 Patricia 和妹妹 Eliana，兩人在 6 月 24 日和 25 日委內瑞拉發生強震後失蹤。在他首場比賽的當天早上，他收到確認消息，稱兩位女性在酒店崩塌時不幸喪生。
Despite this tragedy, Alfonzo decided to play in the game against the San Diego Padres. He explained that his father, brother, and agent encouraged him, and he emphasized that playing was a way to honor his sister. His teammate, Miguel Rojas, also supported him, noting that many Venezuelan athletes share similar goals and struggles. Alfonzo's father, who was also a major league catcher, had been in Venezuela during the disaster. During the game, Alfonzo played seven defensive innings before being replaced by a pinch-hitter.
儘管面臨這場悲劇，Alfonzo 仍決定參加對陣聖地牙哥教練隊（Padres）的比賽。他解釋說，他的父親、哥哥和經紀人給予了他的鼓勵，且他強調，比賽是向他的妹妹致敬的一種方式。他的隊友 Miguel Rojas 也支持他，並指出許多委內瑞拉運動員都有相似的目標與掙扎。Alfonzo 的父親此前也是一名大聯盟接球手，災難發生時他就在委內瑞拉。在比賽中，Alfonzo 參與了七局的防守，隨後被代打替換。
In terms of the game results, the San Diego Padres won 5-2, which prevented them from losing the entire series. The Dodgers struggled to score because their main players failed to get any hits in fourteen attempts. Pitcher Emmet Sheehan played well for over four innings, but the Dodgers lost their lead in the seventh inning after Kyle Hurt entered the game.
就比賽結果而言，聖地牙哥教練隊以 5-2 獲勝，避免了輸掉整個系列賽。道傑隊在得分方面十分吃力，因為他們的主力球員在 14 次嘗試中未能擊出安打。投手 Emmet Sheehan 在前四局多表現優異，但道傑隊在第七局 Kyle Hurt 登場後失去了領先優勢。
Conclusion
The game ended with a victory for the Padres, and the Los Angeles Dodgers organization officially offered their condolences to the Alfonzo family.
比賽最後由教練隊獲勝，洛杉磯道傑隊組織也正式向 Alfonzo 的家人表示哀悼。
Vocabulary Learning
⚡ The 'B2 Jump': Moving from Simple to Complex Connections
At the A2 level, students usually connect ideas with and, but, and because. To reach B2, you need to use Contrast and Concession markers. These allow you to show that two opposite things are true at the same time.
🔍 The Discovery
Look at this sentence from the text:
*"Despite this tragedy, Alfonzo decided to play..."
An A2 student would say: "There was a tragedy, but he played."
A B2 student uses Despite to make the sentence feel more professional and emotionally heavy.
🛠 How to use it (The B2 Formula)
Unlike but, Despite cannot be followed by a full sentence (Subject + Verb). It must be followed by a Noun or a Gerund (-ing).
| ❌ A2 / Incorrect | ✅ B2 / Correct | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Despite he was sad... | Despite his sadness... | Noun phrase |
| Despite it rained... | Despite the rain... | Noun phrase |
| Despite he lost... | Despite losing... | Gerund (-ing) |
🚀 Expanding the Toolkit
To sound truly fluent, you can swap Despite for In spite of. They mean exactly the same thing:
- "In spite of the loss, the team kept fighting."
Pro Tip: If you really want to use a full sentence, you must add the fact that:
- "Despite the fact that he was grieving, he played seven innings."
💡 Quick Context Check
In the article, the author also uses However. While Despite starts a phrase, However starts a new sentence to pivot the direction of the story:
- "Alfonzo had performed well... However, his promotion happened while he was worried..."