The Los Angeles Dodgers are paying tribute to the victims of the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela in their matchup against the San Diego Padres on Friday.
“Dodgers have ‘VZ’ on the side of their caps for the people of Venezuela who were devastated by the earthquakes,” reports David Vassegh of “Dodger Talk” on AM 570 LA Sports.
Alden Gonzalez of ESPN shared an image of the gesture that shows an embroidered “VZ” on the right side of a Dodger’s hat.
Gonzalez said both the Dodgers and the Padres will have the embroidered letters.
What are the Dodgers’ ties to Venezuela?
Several Dodgers hail from Venezuela, including World Series hero Miguel Rojas.
Relievers Brusdar Graterol and Edgardo Henriquez are also Venezuelan.
On Thursday and Friday, Rojas took to Instagram to share images of the VZ insignia on players’ hats, as well as images supporting his country in a trying time.
“Where we’re from is the only thing we have on our mind right now,” he wrote alongside a short video of a waving Venezuelan flag at Petco Park.
What happened in Venezuela?
On Wednesday, back-to-back earthquakes registering 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck Venezuela, killing at least 920 people.
In addition, 51,000 people remain missing and many more have been displaced from their homes.
Help from around the world is headed to the South American country as rescuers seek to free those trapped in debris.
“Each person saved is a miracle,” said Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the country’s National Assembly, as reported by the Associated Press. “We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.”
Messages on caps in baseball
Fans will remember the 2025 World Series, when both Dodgers and Blue Jays wore No. 51 on their hats in honor of Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, who missed the Fall Classic after the death of his infant daughter.
More recently, though, there’s been some consternation about writing messages on caps.
Several San Francisco Giants players wrote a Bible verse on their hats on Pride Night in an apparent effort to highlight their Christian faith.
MLB warned the team that writing on caps is in violation of league policy, though it’s unclear if the Venezuela message will prompt a similar message from the league.
One Response
Inasmuch as millions of dollars change hands every game, I hope MLB sees fit to direct some of them to a legitimate resource located in Venezuela to help people get back on their feet. A piece of the concessions or merchandise. Whatever. For a limited time. Just let fans know so we can feel good contributing.