ST. LOUIS -- Javier Sanoja has made it clear how much he loves his gente.
Before Friday's series opener against the Cardinals, the Marlins showed their support for Venezuela by wearing caps with "VZ" stitched in blue on the side.
"Our thoughts and prayers go to those affected in this tragedy,” manager Clayton McCullough said pregame. “So many in the baseball community, indirectly and directly, are affected by this. Certainly, those in the Miami area are. It's a very sad, tragic set of circumstances and events. I know as an organization we are going to rally around it and do what we can from here to try to lend some support for those who have been affected by the earthquakes in Venezuela.”
Sanoja joined McCullough during his pregame media availability to address the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday, killing more than 900 people.
"It's not a secret to anyone what happened in our country," Sanoja said in Spanish. "It's very complicated and we are trying to help all those people. You all see those strong images. But we are all trying to give our little grain of sand and I thank all those who have truly taken their time, at least in sharing information."
Since the natural disasters, Sanoja has struggled to sleep or rest well, instead spending much of his time trying to help from afar. He has shared information on social media about missing people and ways to assist after asking his followers to send him information that could help.
"A lot of people have come to me, trusting that the help will reach them," Sanoja said with tears. "Today, I have to work with my heart in pieces but I need to keep going. I hope that my people, with God's favor, can recover soon."
Sanoja has remained in contact with people from his hometown of Maracay and others in Doral, Fla., to help coordinate deliveries of necessities to affected areas, including La Guaira and neighborhoods throughout Caracas.
"I am thankful that a lot of my teammates have asked me about my family, thank God, they are all good," Sanoja said. "But it's sad for us Venezuelans in all honestly, it's not my family that is there but they are my people. That is what truly hurts and I want to thank everyone who has been checking in on our country."
His love for Venezuela has never been difficult to spot. Two small Venezuelan flags sit on either side of his locker in the Marlins clubhouse at loanDepot park.
Four months ago, Sanoja was part of the team that made history by helping Venezuela win the World Baseball Classic for the first time. He scored the winning run as a pinch-runner in the 3-2 victory over the United States.