Longtime Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel and former MLB player Tony Blanco Roof collapse at nightclub Tuesday in the capital of the Dominican Republic. Authorities say at least 67 people were killed and dozens were injured when the roof collapsed at a Jetset nightclub. The rescue crew were still searching for potential survivors from the wreckage.
The Dominican Republic’s professional baseball league confirmed that Dotel died after the roof of Santo Domingo’s Jet Set Nightclub collapsed during a performance by Meringue singer Rubby Pérez around 1am on Tuesday. Perez also died of the collapse, and his representative confirmed to CBS News.
“The Dominican Republic’s professional baseball league (Lidom) expresses sadness over the death of former pitcher Octavio Dotel, who was immortalized by the Dominican sports pavilion,” the league said in a social media post.
The 51-year-old Dotel is from Santo Domingo and played for 13 MLB teams for 15 seasons from 1999 to 2013. He signed with the New York Mets and was traded in 2000 by the Houston Astros, where he stayed for five seasons. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, finishing his MLB career with the Detroit Tigers. He won the World Series Championship with the Cardinals in 2011.
The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Sports and Recreation confirmed Blanco’s death in a statement Tuesday.
“I deeply regret the passing of former Major League baseball player Tony Blanco,” the group said in a social media post. “His legacy lives on in the history of national baseball. We share their sorrows with their family, friends and colleagues and offer prayers for their eternal rest.”
The 44-year-old Blanco was born in San Juan de La Maguna, the Dominican Republic. He was one baseman and third baseman and outfielder, playing minor league baseball in the US for eight years. He created MLB for the Washington Nationals in 2005. He last played in Japan in 2016 for the Japanese professional baseball team Orix Buffaloes.
Nelsicruz, sister to seven-time MLB All-Stars Nelson Cruz and sister to Monte Christi in the northwestern province of the Dominican Republic, was among those killed in the collapse of the roof, the Cruz family said in an Instagram post.
The Associated Press reports that Nelsey Cruz called President Abinader shortly after the collapse. He said the roof had collapsed, First Lady Raquel Abrae told reporters. Officials said she later died in the hospital.
MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred Jr. said in a statement that MLB is “deeply saddened by the passage” of Dotel, Blanco and Cruz.
“We send our sincere condolences to all the people affected, friends and colleagues Nelson and his whole family,” Manfred said. “The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic is deep and we’re thinking about all the Dominican players and fans throughout today’s game.”
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I contributed to this report.
