Major League pitcher Octavio Dotel, who has been killed for 15 seasons, died Tuesday after being injured when the roof of a Dominican Republic nightclub collapsed, a spokesman for the country’s Sports Ministry confirmed.
At least 44 people were dead, and more than 130 were injured after the roof of a Jet Set Nightclub in Santo Domingo collapsed during a performance by Meringue singer Ruby Perez. Authorities were still looking for the roof rubber on Tuesday.
The 51-year-old Dotel was originally from Santo Domingo, where he played for 13 teams over 15 seasons from 1999 to 2013. Originally signed by the New York Mets, Dotel made his MLB debut in 1999 before being traded to the Houston Astros, where he spent five years in Houston.
In 2003 he made history when he, Hall of Fame Billy Wagner and four other Astros pitchers didn’t tie the New York Yankees together.
After Wagner was traded that offseason, Dotel took over a closer role against the Astros. But in June he was part of a three-team trade between the smash hit teams hosted by outfielder Carlos Bertran by Oakland and Kansas City. He continued to be closed as a member of the A, finishing the season with a career-high 36 saves.
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He continued to pitch effectively in his late 30s, eventually winning the World Series ring as a member of the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. He posted a 2.61 ERA in a pair of wins in 12 postseason appearances that season.
He then returned to the World Series with the Detroit Tigers the following season, pitching five scoreless innings in six postseason appearances as the Tigers eventually fell to the San Francisco Giants in the Fall Classic.
The Mets met Dotel’s moment of silence before Tuesday’s game at Citifield in New York.
Contribution: Reuters
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