Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel has died after a nightclub ceiling caved in on him, with reports saying he was heard desperately calling for help in his final moments. Dotel, 51, was one of at least 44 people who were killed when the ceiling of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo collapsed at 12:44 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
Earlier reports had mistakenly claimed that he was rescued from the debris after desperately calling out for help. However, Dominican outlet Diario Libre just hours after the collapse reported that Dotel was brought to the Armed Forces Central Hospital without any signs of life and was later officially pronounced dead.
Death of a Star
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“The death of former Major League Baseball player Octavio Dotel has been confirmed,” the publication wrote in an update on X. The Emergency Operations Center reported that at least 144 people were taken to nearby hospitals in the Dominican Republic’s capital.
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.
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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.
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.
Tragic End of a Star
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.
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Dotel spent four and a half seasons in Houston, establishing himself as a vital bullpen arm before being traded to the Oakland Athletics in June 2004.
Over the next six years, Dotel played for several teams, including the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Colorado Rockies.
In 2011, he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays but was traded mid-season to the St. Louis Cardinals as they prepared for a playoff push that led to their second World Series title in five years.
Dotel was a solid contributor out of the bullpen, posting a 3.28 ERA in 29 games for St. Louis. He didn’t give up a run in his three appearances against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series and delivered a solid showing in the Championship Series versus the Brewers, surrendering two runs in four outings.
In the decisive Game 7 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers, Dotel pitched two-thirds of an inning without allowing a run, helping seal the Cardinals’ championship win.
Octavio Dotel was seated close to the stage during the live performance by Pérez when a portion of the ceiling suddenly collapsed.
Videos circulating on social media captured the moment Pérez—who has previously charted twice on Billboard—was performing when debris from the ceiling came crashing down onto the crowd and the musicians.
Zulinka Pérez, Rubby’s daughter and a vocalist in his band, told reporters that the iconic singer was trapped beneath the wreckage but began singing to alert emergency responders to his location.
Rescue teams continue to search for people who may be alive, using thermal imaging cameras to detect body heat under the rubble.
At the time of the incident, Dotel’s wife, Pastor Massiel Dotel, was out of the country attending an event in New Jersey.
