Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (AP) – Octavio Dotel, who presented 13 major leagues teams during a 15 -year career and won a world series with the Cardinals of St. Louis, was among the dead after a The roof collapsed in a nightclub In his native Dominican Republic where he attended a merengue concert. He was 51 years old.
The officials initially declared that Dotel had been saved from debris and transported to the hospital, but the spokesperson Satosky Terrero of the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic confirmed to the Associated Press that Dotel died later on Tuesday.
At least 79 people died and 160 were injured after the Jet Set nightclub collapsed, officials said. Tony Blanco, who has played an MLB season and eight years professionally in Japan, also died as a result of the collapse, said Terrero. Nelsy Cruz, governor of the province of Monte Cristi and the sister of Nelson Cruz, former MLB player and special MLB advisor to baseball operations.
“Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passages of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz and all the victims of the tragedy last night in Santo Domingo,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, in a statement. “We send our sincere condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been touched and to our colleague Nelson and to his whole family. The link between baseball and the Dominican Republic is deep, and we think of all Dominican players and fans through the game today. ”
The succession launcher of the cardinals of St. Louis, Octavio Dottel, launches during the ninth round of a baseball match against the Astros of Houston on Thursday July 28, 2011 in St. Louis. (Photo / jeff dresserson, file)
The Octavio Dotel of St. Louis Cardinals famous after match 6 of the series of championships of the National Baseball League against the Brewers Milwaukee on Sunday October 16, 2011 in Milwaukee. (AP photo / David J. Phillip, file)
The executive director of the MLB Players Association, Tony Clark, said that the union was united to the Dominican community “in the midst of incomprehensible sadness”.
“We mourn all the victims and send a special message to support the families of Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco, who leave an unspeakable emptiness with their death, and to Nelson Cruz, whose family has lost a brilliant light with the death of his sister, Nelsy,” he said in a statement.
Dotel signed with the New York Dies in 1993 as an amateur free agent and made his debut in the major league in 1999. A departure at the start of his career, he turned into a reliable and sometimes dominant lift when he appeared in 758 games from 1999 to 2013.
When he took the mound for the Detroit Tigers on April 7, 2012, he set the record by playing for the most important teams in the major league at 13. Edwin Jackson broke the record in 2019 when he presented for his 14th team.
The dishes held a moment of silence for Dotel before their match on Tuesday against Miami, and a Dominican flag was shown on the video dashboard.
The best years of Dotel were with the Astros of Houston in the early 2000s. He was a man of configuration for Star Closer Billy Wagner, making 302 appearances and publishing an MPM of 3.25 in four seasons and more. He was the fifth of the six launchers to combine on a safe hit against New York Yankees in 2003. The following year, he was part of the three -way trade that brought Carlos Beltran to Astros.
Dotel launched nine teams before landing with the Cardinals, who acquired him from Toronto on the deadline of 2011. He appeared in 12 games in the playoffs, including five in the World Series against Texas.
In 2013, he launched in the Dominican Republic team who won the World Baseball Classic with an 8-0 file.
Dotel ended his career in major leagues with 1,143 stick withdrawals in 951 rounds, a magnificent rate of 10.8 for nine sleeves. He had a career record of 59-50, 109 stops and 3.78 ERA.
The succession launcher of the cardinals of St. Louis, Octavio Dottel, participates in a victory parade after having beat the Texas Rangers to win their 11th World Series in the history of the franchise on Sunday October 30, 2011 in St. Louis. (Photo / jeff dresserson, file)
In 2019, Dotel and ex-Major Leagher Luis Castillo were among the 18 people in police custody during a major American law enforcement of the United States against drug trafficking and money laundering. Dotel and Castillo were released when a Dominican magistrate found insufficient evidence to link them to the operation.
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