Octavio Dotel, 15-year MLB veteran, dies in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — Former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel was one of more than 100 people killed after the roof of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed on Tuesday.
At least 300 people were inside Jet Set nightclub, in the capital of Santo Domingo, when the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. local time during a performance of merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, authorities said.
At least 113 people, including Dotel, were killed, according to emergency services in an update on Wednesday. The National Emergency System previously announced on Tuesday that more than 200 people had been injured in the roof collapse.
Dotel died on the way to the hospital after being rescued alive from the rubble, Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, told CNN.
Dotel’s education academy, Colegio Sabiduría y Baluarte, mourned him in a statement, saying he leaves “an indelible mark on all of us who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him.”
Dotel played in MLB for 15 seasons between 1999 and 2013, having initially been signed by the New York Mets in 1993 as an amateur free agent and making his major league debut six years later.
He pitched for 13 different teams, which meant he co-held the record for the most number of teams played for in MLB history when he retired – it was subsequently broken by Edwin Jackson in 2019.
Over his MLB career, he played for the Mets, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.
Dotel appeared in two World Series in 2011 and 2012 with the Cardinals and Tigers respectively, lifting the Commissioner’s Trophy with St. Louis in 2011 with its victory over the Texas Rangers.
He was part of the Dominican Republic team that won the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
He finished his career in 2013 with the Tigers having appeared in 758 games, retiring with a 3.78 ERA, 1,143 strikeouts and 109 saves in 951 innings pitched. He had a career 59-50 record.
Another former major leaguer, Tony Blanco, also died after the collapse, MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred and the Dominican Sports Ministry said. Blanco played in 56 games for the Washington Nationals in 2005.
Also among the dead was Nelsy Cruz, governor of the Monte Cristi province, Dominican President Luis Abinader said. Cruz was related to former MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz, according a statement from his family mourning her death.
CNN’s Jessica Hasbun, Verónica Calderón and Michael Rios contributed to this report.
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