Edwin Encarnacion, White Sox provide coronavirus relief in Dominican Republic

Share

While Major League Baseball works to salvage its 2020 season, many players are scattered in different countries — and some of them are dealing with dire circumstances.

The Dominican Republic, home to White Sox players like Edwin Encarnacion, Kelvin Herrera and Nomar Mazara, is one of those places. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the Dominican Republic had 8,807 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 362 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon.

“It's not good,” Encarnacion said. “It's getting worse.”

In a country with over 10 million people, the confirmed case/100k population might not be near the rate of 872.95 confirmed cases/100k population in Cook County, Ill., but when you consider the lack of resources available in the Dominican Republic, the small country needs help. And it’s very possible the case rate is much higher than what is being confirmed.

Encarnacion said he knows 10 people in his city of La Romana who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Five have died.

“Another five are trying to recover,” the White Sox designated hitter said. “It's been difficult for my city, but right now, nobody close to my family has the virus. We're just trying to get away from dying and asking God to bless all.”

But he’s been doing much more than praying. Encarnacion took action. On a phone call with Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Jose Bautista, Encarnacion came up with an idea that is making a big difference in the Dominican Republic.

“I told (them) we could have a group of players, we can come together to help our country because they need it right now,” Encarnacion said. “I told them I could start a group in WhatsApp and tried to get every number I could get and put them together in one group and we can start from there. That's how everything came together. And we have over 50 players already in that group."

According to Encarnacion, every single player in that group, including Herrera and Mazara, immediately agreed to help. The White Sox also contributed. The Pedro Martinez Foundation is organizing the efforts and so far, over $1 million has been raised, while over 1,000 food kits have been provided to those who need to be fed.

“Here in the Dominican, every player does something for the city where he's from,” Encarnacion said. “I'm from La Romana. I've been doing a lot of different stuff, giving food to the people around my city in La Romana. Everybody, like Robinson Cano doing stuff in San Pedro de Macoris, Albert Pujols doing his city, there are a lot of players doing different stuff.”

According to The Pedro Martinez Foundation website, the group plans to provide 5,000 food kits that keep families fed for two weeks, 32,000 KN95 masks for doctors and nurses, 110,000 3-ply face masks for citizens to wear and 7,700 PPE suits for doctors and nurses.

"It's great. Every guy that's in that group, right away they said, 'Yes, I want to help.' It's a great feeling for us,” Encarnacion said. “Those players, the heart that they have for giving to the community, giving back what they've made. It's a great feeling, and I'm very proud of all those guys here in this group."

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the White Sox easily on your device.

Contact Us