Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher dead after nightclub roof collapses
A former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher was reported dead today after a fatal nightclub collapse in his home country of the Dominican Republic.
Octavio Dotel, who played for the Blue Jays in 2011 in a lengthy career that included 12 other major league teams, was found dead on Tuesday after a fatal accident at a concert held at the Jet Set nightclub in the northwestern province of Montecristi.
The news of his death was first reported by Dominican baseball insider Hector Gomez.
Gomez reported that Dotel was rescued from the rubble of the nightclub but passed away while being transported to a local military hospital.
“We are saddened to learn that former Blue Jays pitcher Octavio Dotel was one of several individuals who passed away during a roof collapse in the Dominican Republic. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families affected by this devastating tragedy,” the Blue Jays wrote on social media today.
The Associated Press had reported at least 44 deaths from the incident, along with hundreds of injuries.
Dominican outlet Diario Libre reported that Dotel was trapped for around 11 hours overnight before being discovered in the rubble and being transported to the hospital.
Dotel played in the major leagues from 1999 to 2013, winning the World Series in 2011 after being traded from the Blue Jays to the St. Louis Cardinals in a multi-player deal centred around Colby Rasmus. Primarily serving as a reliever for almost all of his career, he played 758 games in the major leagues, while also winning a gold medal at the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
MLB 11-time Gold Glove winner and three-time All-Star Omar Vizquel, who played for the Blue Jays in 2012, was among those reacting to the death on social media.
“Shocking news, we lost a great person and ball player! RIP Octavio Dotel and my deep condolences to his family and all the people affected by this tragedy,” Vizquel wrote on X.
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