DENVER — For years, Germán Márquez looked up in crowded stadiums and saw no familiar faces.

He watched after games as his teammates hugged their loved ones, feeling a pain in his heart knowing that the ones he cherished most were over 3,000 miles away in San Felix, Venezuela.

But on Tuesday night, as his eyes wandered to section 130 right above home plate, Márquez found two of the most important people in his life: his wife, Dilvanny, and son, Damian. As Márquez took the biggest leap of his career — pitching for the National League in the All-Star Game at his home stadium — he finally had family in the stands to celebrate the moment with.

“I’m already super emotional watching him, you can only imagine how I feel with him making the All-Star Game and being able to see him pitch,” said Dilvanny through Daniel Szew, Márquez’s agent, who translated the interview. “I’m super emotional and super happy.”

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He put on a show for Coors Field, pitching a 1-2-3 fourth inning, ending his All-Star appearance with a strikeout. The crowd rewarded him with a standing ovation, and he tipped his cap to Rockies fans as he ran into the dugout. Rockies manager Bud Black, who served as a National League coach, told him to take a deep breath. The hard work was done; now it was time to enjoy the moment. 

“It was a dream of mine as a child,” he said. “I’m super emotional that it’s here and that I was able to accomplish it.”

Márquez was signed as an international free agent by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. His family got to witness his first professional games in the Dominican Summer League in 2012, but were not able to see his outings once he moved to the United States at age 18 to play in the Appalachian League. 

It was about this time that he started dating Dilvanny, but for years he wasn’t able to secure a visa for her to join him due to a contentious relationship between the Venezuela and U.S. governments. She missed his early career milestones, including his major league debut in 2016 and opening day start in 2020. 

Dilvanny was always watching, though. Their families cheered him on, gathering together to stream his games on the MLB app. Márquez noted that sometimes it felt like the entire country was rooting for him.

Szew, who has been with Márquez since the beginning, became like a big brother to him, extending their relationship far beyond the normal agent-player dynamics. He was always there for him, through the ups and downs. He was in attendance on Tuesday too, sitting proudly next to Dilvanny and Damian in the family seats. 

“It’s super special,” Szew said. “It’s like a family member accomplishing something. I’m just super proud of him.”

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Márquez’s teammates became like his second family, and he grew especially close with fellow Venezuelans Antonio Senzatela and Elias Díaz. The entire team has played a part in helping him become the confident pitcher that he is today, and they now consider him their El Caballo — their leader. The coaching staff, which has stayed largely the same for his entire major league career, said that they all feel like proud parents watching his success.  

“He’s such a good kid,” shortstop Trevor Story said. “He’s put in all the work to earn this honor. He deserves this.”

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Márquez and Dilvanny married two years ago, and they were finally able to secure a visa last year by going to Columbia. But then COVID-19 hit, and the season was played without fans in the stands. Dilvanny was once again forced to watch on television.

So this year, when she could finally get into the stadium to watch her husband pitch for the first time in the major leagues, Dilvanny didn’t want to miss anything, big or small. She was there the night Márquez almost threw a no-hitter, running down to the field after to embrace him, jumping up and down in glee as she wrapped her arms around him.

She was in attendance when Márquez was announced as an All-Star in front of 30,000 people at Coors Field, getting to witness in person her husband’s reaction to the news. She found out earlier that day through Szew, but Márquez didn’t know until that moment.

“I was happy because Germán was super happy,” she said. “It was a dream come true for him.”

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Their son, who will turn 3 this month, usually sleeps through games in the family room. He’s not old enough to realize that his father is an All-Star pitcher; he just thinks it’s fun to cheer him on. They are hoping this is the first of many trips to the midseason classic, so Damian can be old enough to take it in one day. 

On Tuesday, even though Márquez did not start the game, he tried to keep his routine as close to normal as possible. That includes play time with Damian in the morning before he heads to the stadium.

But even though he took the same route to the stadium that he always does and walked through the same hallways to his usual spot in the home clubhouse, Tuesday was not just another game day. The All-Star game comes with extra responsibilities and attention, including a flashy Hollywood style Purple Carpet event. He took Damian along, clad in a snazzy suit just like his father.

Back home, his family and friends gathered around to watch him pitch on one of baseball’s biggest stages. The hometown crowd roared when his name was called, and he knows his loved ones did the same in Venezuela.

In 2005, Márquez watched as Bobby Abreu, a right fielder from Venezuela, won the home run derby and played in the All-Star Game the day after. It lit a spark in him, and he decided then that he would do the same on day. And now he’s here, wearing the National League jersey, with two very special fans in attendance to cheer him on.

“That’s who I do it for,” he said. “I do it for them. I do it for the people in Venezuela, everyone who has been supporting me. It was really special for me to do that today.”