Venezuela together: Phillies' No. 4 prospect pays tribute to home nation (and homers) at Double-A
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"Venezuela together."
That was the message Phillies No. 4 prospect Aroon Escobar inscribed in Spanish on his left wristband this week after a pair of earthquakes devastated his native country. On Wednesday, quakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes left more than 1,400 people dead across northern Venezuela, according to The Associated Press.
Born in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, Escobar -- after writing his message in support of his home nation -- delivered a special moment for Double-A Reading on Sunday at Altoona. The second baseman slugged the go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh inning, a two-run shot to center field to break a 4-4 tie. Reading went on to win the game, 9-4, at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
It was the second homer in three days for Escobar, who hit a three-run dinger, his first home run since May 26, in a 9-1 Reading win on Friday, two days after the quakes. He's one of hundreds of Major League and Minor League players from Venezuela, and many -- including Brewers catcher William Contreras -- have shown similar support after the tragedy.