As José Alvarado struggles to bring his mom and kids to the U.S., he finds support from his brother: ‘It’s incredible’

As the Phillies advanced in the postseason last year, they celebrated series wins in the clubhouse, and greeted family members on the field afterward. Kids ran around. Parents hugged their sons. Wives took pictures with their husbands.

Phillies reliever José Alvarado saw all of this and felt sad. Most of his family members were in Venezuela because they weren’t able to get visas. His mother, Crelia, had one, and it expired. Because of the strained diplomatic relationship between Venezuela and the United States, the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela has been suspended since 2019.

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She tried to go through Colombia, along with Alvarado’s sister and two of his children. Their visas were denied. A year later, they tried to go to Brazil. Their visas were denied, again. According to the Congressional Research Service, Venezuela is in an “economic and humanitarian crisis.” This has led to a mass exodus of Venezuelans to other countries, which has made it increasingly difficult for many citizens — including Alvarado’s family — to secure visas.

“It’s been really hard for me,” Alvarado said. “Sometimes, when I talk to my kids on the phone, they start to cry, because they want to see me, and I want to see them. And I can’t see them.”

It is a difficult situation for anyone, including a professional athlete who has to perform in high-pressure situations. Sometimes it can be hard for him to focus on baseball. Crelia had surgery on her eyes last month, and she had some trouble getting the medicine she needed. Alvarado felt like he could only do so much from 2,000 miles away.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” he said. “I want to help. I worry about her, I worry about my kids. I just want to be with my family.”

This postseason, Alvarado decided to make a change. He flew his older brother, Dario, to Philadelphia for the wild-card and division series.

Dario is a welder who lives in Tampa, Fla. Alvarado said his brother has a busy work schedule, which has made it difficult for him to attend his games in the past. But he was able to take off from work in early October to stay with Alvarado for two weeks.

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Alvarado made his 2023 postseason debut on Oct. 3 against the Marlins in the wild-card series. It was the first time Dario had seen him pitch live in a major league ballpark. Alvarado made it worth his while. He entered with two on and two out in the seventh inning to protect a 3-1 lead, and struck out Yuli Gurriel to end that threat. He also struck out Jon Berti to start the eighth, induced a groundout from Garrett Hampson, and allowed a single before Jeff Hoffman came in to retire the right-handed hitting Jorge Soler.

It was an emotional moment for both of them.

“We cried a lot,” Alvarado said. “He told me he was so proud of me to see how well I’m doing in my job. He felt proud watching me pitch, hearing the music as I jog to the mound, hearing the ‘Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose,’ chants. All of it.”

Alvarado made three more appearances in the NLDS against the Braves. He allowed just one hit and two walks in three one-inning appearances against the best lineup in baseball. He extended his postseason scoreless streak by getting four outs Monday in Game 1 of the NLCS.

After the Phillies clinched a spot in the NLCS last Thursday, he celebrated in the clubhouse, and ventured onto the field. He saw Dario waiting. He ran over and gave him a long hug. After an entire postseason with no family members to greet, he didn’t take the moment for granted.

“It was the first time I had someone here for the postseason,” Alvarado said. “It was incredible. It was incredible to have the support of my brother, to have him see me pitch. It means so much to me.”

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Dario flew back to Tampa on Sunday, but not without giving his brother some words of encouragement.

“He said, ‘Keep working, and stay strong, you guys are playing well,’” Alvarado said. “‘When this is over, we’ll see each other again. Everyone is so proud of you.’”