Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel died following a roof collapse at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic early Tuesday, the Mets announced Tuesday after holding a moment of silence for him before the afternoon game. He was 51. At least 44 people died and more than 140 others were injured at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic’s capital city.
Dotel was among those rescued from the rubble but later succumbed to his injuries.
Dotel originally signed with the Mets as an international amateur free agent in March 1993 and broke into the big leagues with New York in June 1999. He was traded to the Astros in the Mike Hampton deal following that season and enjoyed his greatest success with Houston, where he was a stalwart setup man for Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner.
In 2004, the Astros traded Dotel to the Athletics, which began the journeyman phase of his career. Dotel pitched for 11 different teams from 2004-13: the Athletics, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Tigers. At the time of his retirement, Dotel held the record for most franchises played with (13).
Dotel won a World Series ring with the 2011 Cardinals. He retired both batters he faced in the seventh inning of their World Series Game 7 win over the Rangers.
Although he was never an All-Star, Dotel was one of his era’s top relievers. He pitched to a 3.10 ERA while striking out 11.5 batters per nine innings during his peak from 2001-09, an elite strikeout rate for the time. Dotel retired following the 2013 season with a career 3.78 ERA and 109 saves in close to 1,000 innings.
Nelsy Cruz, sister of longtime MLB player Nelson Cruz and the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi, was among those killed in the roof collapse, according to the Associated Press.
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