Former Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia would not have thought what was coming in the next few seconds as he pressed the elevator button for the sixth floor of the iconic Hotel Eduards in La Guaira, Venezuela. On Wednesday, La Guaira was one of the hardest hit areas from the earthquake that has left over 500 people dead till now. The Hotel was turned into rubble, but Mejia credited divine intervention as the elevator didn’t leave for the sixth floor, and he could escape within seconds.

“JENRRY MEJÍA IS SAFE. The Dominican pitcher for Delfines de La Guaira reported that he is doing well after the strong earthquake in Venezuela. Mejía was staying in one of the affected hotels and said he was able to get out safely. He is currently at the stadium, with limited communication. Strength to all those affected and their families,” Cultura Sports shared via X.

According to Mejia, he was returning from a gym session at his hotel and was returning to his floor. Just 39 seconds before the destruction struck, Mejia boarded the elevator for the sixth floor. But he was instead taken to the ground floor, and another person requested the lift. Fortunately, the main exit was near the elevator door on the ground floor, and as the earthquake started, Mejia escaped the hotel within seconds unhurt.

Absolutely a “divine intervention” to take the elevator to the ground floor just before the earthquake. “I was in the gym area. And at that moment, I took the elevator to leave,” Mejia said. “In fact, I had pressed number 6, which was where my floor was. But … I think it was God because instead of going up, it went down to the basement.”

Mejia also acted as a good Samaritan as he helped an elderly person move out of the hotel. “With the agility I have, I helped an elderly gentleman. I was able to drag him away, take him with me,” he told the station. “I think only he and I (came out alive), the others are still there, trapped under the rubble.” Mejia and the unidentified elderly man were lucky, but others are not. There are still many reportedly left under the rubble. We pray for their strength in this difficult time.

Mejia is currently playing for the La Guaira Delfines of the Venezuelan Major League. He played for the Mets between 2010 and 2015 and had a career 3.68 ERA in MLB. He also played for the minor league organizations under the Red Sox and eventually migrated to Venezuelan baseball. In what was already a rollercoaster career of Mejia, this is another episode added to his bibliography.

Jenrry Mejia was another lost talent of MLB

During his stint with the Mets in MLB, Mejia had his own share of ups and downs. In 2010, he made his debut for the Mets, making him the youngest ever debutant for the franchise since Dwight Gooden. However, the momentum couldn’t be carried forward. He was the first player to be permanently suspended under MLB’s drug program in 2016 after his third positive PED test.

“I’ve had a long, difficult time away from the game to contemplate the mistakes I’ve made both about my positive drug tests and also the false allegations I made about Major League Baseball’s investigation into my testing history,” Mejia said back then.

His ban was conditionally lifted by Commissioner Rob Manfred, allowing him to return for the 2019 season. Jenrry Mejia returned and signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox. While his career officially ended by then, he had left a lasting impression as another example of lost talent. Now, Wednesday comes out to his second birth, and hopefully Mejia will rediscover himself again.