Wilson Ramos: Inside Kidnapped MLB Player's Rescue
"I didn't know if I was coming home alive," he said.
Nov. 13, 2011— -- Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, who was abducted earlier this week in Venezuela said he huddled under his bed fearing for his life as government commandos arrived to rescue him.
"I didn't know if I was coming home alive," Ramos told ESPN in an exclusive interview.
Ramos is a free man after officials found him alive and safe and rescued him.
The commandos had flown into a remote, mountainous location of Venezuela by helicopter and then set out on foot, before surrounding a house holding Ramos.
"These were people I don't know and they kill for money ... to think about this made my spirits go down and I was worried," Ramos told ESPN. "I do not wish that experience upon anyone."
When the shooting ended, at least four kidnappers and their accomplices were arrested.
Ramos was held for roughly 50 hours after being abducted from his mother's house at gunpoint.
"I have to be more careful on the streets ... I will continue working hard on my career," he said.
Ramos told The Associated Press he didn't know who the kidnappers were.
"Three guys grabbed me there in front of my house, they took me to another SUV and from there they took me into the mountains," Ramos told the AP.
Officials are still looking for up to four men, thought to be of Columbian descent.
After he was rescued, Ramos' mother was shown on television exclaiming, "Thanks to God!"
Earlier on Friday night, fans of the Washington Nationals held a candlelight vigil for Ramos outside of their stadium.
Ramos thanked his fans for their support.
"Thank you for everything and I see you in spring training," he said.
Ramos is a rising star with the Washington Nationals, whose fielding and power hitting propelled him into the role of starting catcher in only his rookie season.
In 2011 he hit .267 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI in 113 games. He also threw out 19 of 67 runners attempting to steal a base, a 28 percent success rate.
Ramos may be the highest profile symbol of the growing, and some say epidemic, problem of kidnapping for ransom in Venezuela. Hundreds of such abductions occur each year.
"It's a business, the victim is a commodity," Chris Voss, former FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator, told ABC News.
According to ESPN, since 2004 at least three major league players from Venezuela have had relatives kidnapped.
ABC News' Pierre Thomas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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