Just two days ago, Willson Contreras crushed a 421-foot, three-run homer off Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas. As he rounded the bases, he tapped the top of his helmet with both hands and shouted, “Venezuela.” That was how the Red Sox star paid tribute to his home country, where the aftermath of the twin earthquakes has been brutal. The tragedy did not spare anyone, and recent reports suggest that it took the lives of at least 100 children enrolled in the country’s largest youth baseball organization.

On June 24, two high-intensity earthquakes, with magnitudes 7.1 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, struck Venezuela within 39 seconds of each other. The tremors reduced entire communities around Caracas and La Guaira to dust and rubble. With rescues still underway, the tragedy has come under the spotlight. MLB insider Hector Gomez reported that at least 100 young baseball players enrolled at Criollitos de Venezuela have tragically passed away.

“BREAKING: At least 100 young baseball players from the “Los Criollitos” school died under the rubble in La Guaira following the earthquakes,” Gomez reported on X.

Even The Latin Times reported, “The president of Criollitos de La Guaira, part of Criollitos de Venezuela, the country’s largest youth baseball organization, says at least 100 children enrolled in the league were killed” by the earthquake.

Founded in 1962, Criollitos de Venezuela runs one of the premier youth baseball organizations in the country. It has helped build future baseball stars in Venezuela. According to The Latin Times, 1,200 youths were enrolled across its multiple La Guaira programs at the time of the earthquakes.

Jhorny Sojo, president of Criollitos de La Guaira, spoke to local media about the heartbreaking loss.

“It is a tragedy and such an enormous pain that there will never be a remedy for it,” a teary-eyed Sojo reportedly said.

Adding further to the tragedy, Sojo revealed that the current numbers might rise as many children remain missing. The death toll may rise as authorities continue to recover victims from beneath the rubble for identification.

“We don’t have the real numbers yet,” Sojo stated. “There are about 100 baseball players confirmed dead from reports submitted by the different teams, and many more remain missing. Many are also hospitalized in medical centers in Caracas.”

He further revealed that the worst part is that most of the victims of the earthquake belonged to the ‘Semilleros’ category. This particular group consisted of children aged between four and five years old.

The loss is unacceptable and beyond repair.

Sojo is also a survivor of the earthquake. He and his family managed to escape their apartment building at the nick of time, just before the destruction struck. Sojo lived on the 11 floor of El Mástil in Playa Grande, per The Latin Times, one of the majorly affected areas.

The earthquakes that hit Venezuela during a national holiday have affected all communities. Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo’s family was one of the victims. The wife of former San Francisco Giants player Gorkys Hernandez also died in the earthquake. Giants’ Victor Bericoto also suffered a personal tragedy when his brother’s girlfriend passed away. However, other family members of Bericoto are safe.

As Venezuelans fight to recover from indescribable loss and tragedy, prayers from all around the world are with them.