Former Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Octavio Dotel was among the more than 120 victims who were killed after the roof of a Dominican Republic nightclub collapsed on Tuesday morning. Dotel was 51.
Former MLB player Tony Blanco and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the Dominican Republic’s Monte Cristi Province and sister of seven-time All-Star Nelson Cruz, also died in the tragedy.
“Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
“We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family. The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today.”
The cause of the collapse at the Jet Set nightclub is still uncertain. More than 145 people were rescued in the immediate aftermath, while 155 others have been transported to local hospitals.
Octavio Dotel’s MLB career
Dotel enjoyed a 15-year MLB career from 1999-2013, which included stints with 13 teams. He had a brief stop with the Dodgers in 2010 after the club acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline.
Dotel went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA, 4.69 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 10.1 strikeouts per nine and one save in 18.2 innings as a member of the Dodgers. L.A. traded him to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later (Anthony Jackson) at the waiver deadline in September.
Dotel finished his big league career with a 59-50 record, 3.78 ERA and 109 saves in 951 innings pitched across 758 games (34 starts).
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