Baseball players and fans lived some of the most terrifying moments of their lives during Wednesday’s Liga Mayor game. Two powerful earthquakes struck the country while the game between the Mariners of Carabobo and the Senators of Caracas was underway. 

It was a chaotic situation as players, staff, and fans all rushed towards the open field while the ground violently trembled from the 7.1 magnitude earthquake. Jomboy Media posted the scary footage on X.

The game had just begun on Wednesday when the stadium started shaking in the middle of an at-bat. Mariners’ Bryant Flete was at the plate facing William Casique. In the video, the players appear not to have realized what was happening at first, as they continue with the game. Casique even throws a pitch before the batter calls a timeout as the tremors intensify. Once everyone grasped the severity of the situation, people crowded the open field to save themselves from any collapsing structure.

The video was captured at Estadio Universitario de Caracas when the earthquake struck 20.3 KM below the surface around 6 pm local time. However, it was the less severe of the two, as another stronger earthquake of 7.5 magnitude struck only 39 seconds later. The second earthquake caused power outages and dozens of buildings to collapse. Caracas and La Guaira took the brunt of the damage. Both earthquakes were located near Morón, a coastal city 104 miles away from the Venezuelan capital.

Nearly a thousand have been injured, and the death toll has risen to 164, per the BBC. Delcy Rodriguez, the interim president of Venezuela, has declared a state of emergency in the country. Rescue work is still underway.

The incident at Estadio Universitario de Caracas brings a reminder of the Loma Prieta earthquake of October 17, 1989. The 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay minutes before Game 3 of the World Series. The match between the Oakland Athletics and the SF Giants at Candlestick Park was suspended for 10 days due to the earthquake. That year, the Athletics won the championship.

Though the Venezuelan earthquakes caused widespread devastation, fortunately, no one was harmed inside the stadium. Following the calamity, Liga Mayor has released a statement on their official X handle.

Statement from the Liga Mayor of Venezuela

The Mariners and Senators game was already suspended due to the earthquake. In the wake of the destruction caused in Venezuela, the Liga Mayor has suspended all its games temporarily. The statement from the Venezuelan baseball league comes as a show of empathy to those in distress, including the players.

The statement read, “La Liga Mayor de Beisbol Profesional informs the country that, in solidarity with the thousands of Venezuelan families affected by the devastating earthquake that occurred today, including the families of several of our players, and in accordance with the State of Emergency decreed by the National Executive headed by our President, Delcy Rodríguez, it has decided to temporarily suspend, until further notice, all games corresponding to our 2026 season has decided to temporarily suspend, until further notice, all games corresponding to our 2026 season.”

The league also stated that it will decide on the continuation of the 2026 baseball season once it has more knowledge of the country’s situation. It extended their support and prayers for the victims and their families.

Signed by Arturo Gerardo Cupido Peraza, the statement ended with: “We reiterate our commitment to Venezuela and extend our full strength, support, and solidarity to the Venezuelan people during this painful situation.”