Former Major League Baseball pitcher Narciso Elvira, 52, has been killed alongside his 20-year-old son in Veracruz, Mexico. The pair were ambushed by armed men while driving near Medellín de Bravo on Tuesday, and police suspect criminal involvement. No arrests have been made.
Elvira began his MLB career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1990 and later played in South Korea and Japan before retiring to become a farmer in his home state. He had previously been kidnapped in 2015 by men claiming to belong to the Gulf cartel; police freed him after 23 days, finding him chained to a tree.
Despite the earlier kidnapping, Elvira chose to remain in Veracruz, saying, 'I like it here, to be with my people, those who saw me grow up.' His farm employed about 100 people. Eyewitnesses reported that Elvira and his son tried to flee on foot as the assailants opened fire.
Baseball fans in Mexico, the US, Japan and South Korea have paid tribute on social media. Mexico's murder rate has risen in recent years, with 2019 recording 34,582 killings, much of which is linked to criminal gangs involved in drug trafficking, kidnappings and extortion.
