Two former Major League Baseball players, including World Series winner Octavio Dotel, were among at least 66 people killed when the roof of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed on Tuesday, according to local news outlets. The incident took place while popular merengue artist Rubby Pérez was performing, Dominican news source Noticias SIN reported.
Dotel — who began his career as a prospect with the New York Mets and also won a championship with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 — and Tony Blanco — who had a short but eventful stint with the Washington Nationals — were killed when the roof came down at the popular Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo.
Tragic Loss
General Juan Manuel Méndez, head of emergency operations, confirmed to Noticias SIN that 51-year-old Dotel had gone to the club with Blanco, 45. More than 150 people sustained injuries inside the crowded nightclub.
Earlier reports had claimed that Dotel was rescued from the debris after desperately calling out for help. However, Dominican outlet Diario Libre later reported that Dotel was brought to the Armed Forces Central Hospital without any signs of life and was officially pronounced dead.
According to Dominican TV network Supercanal, first responders heard Dotel, a 2011 World Series champion with the St. Louis Cardinals, screaming for help.
Dotel was one among at least eight people pulled from the wreckage after the roof of the famous Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo came down during a live performance by popular merengue artist Rubby Pérez, as reported by Noticias SIN. However, he was already dead by then.
Local reports confirmed that Rubby Pérez was rescued alive from the debris but not all the band members were lucky.
His manager, Enrique Paulino, who appeared at the scene with a bloodstained shirt, told reporters that the group's saxophonist was one of the victims who died in the collapse. Authorities confirmed that Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi, was among those who died in the tragedy.
She was the sister of former Major League Baseball star Nelson Cruz.
An Illustrious Career
Dotel played for 13 different teams in his 15-season MLB career, compiling a 59-50 record, a 3.79 ERA, and 109 saves across 758 appearances, including 34 as a starting pitcher. A right-handed pitcher, Dotel began his professional journey by signing with the New York Mets as an international free agent in 1993 and made his MLB debut with them in June 1999.
Later that year, in December, he was a central figure in a trade that sent him to the Houston Astros in exchange for All-Star pitcher Mike Hampton.
Blanco played the minor leagues as part of the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals' farm systems, playing various positions including first base, third base, and outfield. His sole appearance in Major League Baseball was with the Nationals in 2005, during which he played in 56 games.
The Dominican power hitter also enjoyed a successful run in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league.
As evening approached on Tuesday, police said that rescue teams were still working through the rubble in search of more survivors. "We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble," said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the city's Center of Emergency Operations.
The exact cause of the roof collapse was not immediately known. President Luis Abinader, who toured the scene of the tragedy on Tuesday, stated that all emergency services were "working tirelessly" to assist those impacted by the incident.
