Ex-Astros Pitcher Dotel Killed in Deadly Night Club Collapse

Former Houston Astros pitcher Octavio Dotel was killed after the roof at a night club collapsed in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. The collapse occurred at 1 a.m. during a concert, with several prominent members in attendance, including local politicians and athletes.

Earlier on Tuesday, it was reported Dotel was trapped in the rubble for 11 hours, before being pulled out alive. Now, it’s being reported that the 51-year-old was taken to a local hospital, where he arrived with no vital signs. At least 44 people were killed, and 160 were injured. There no word as to what led to the roof’s collapse.

Two other former MLB players, Henry Blanco and Esteban Germán, were also at the club, but left before the collapse. The sister of former MLB player, seven-time all-star Nelson Cruz, was also killed in the incident, along with Nelsy Cruz, governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi.

Dotel was signed by the New York Mets out of the Dominican Republic as an amateur free agent in 1993, where he was a part of the team’s minor league system for the next several seasons. he made his MLB debut on June 26, 1999 for the Mets. He would later pitch for the team in the 1999 NLCS.

During the 1999-00 offseason, the Astros traded pitcher Mike Hampton and outfielder Derek Bell for a package including Dotel on Dec. 23, 1999. Dotel would make the move from starter to relief pitcher for the Astros, posting a 5.40 ERA in 2000, with 16 saves in 16 starts. It marked the first time in National League history that pitcher had over 15 saves in 15 starts.

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In 2002, Dotel led all relievers in strikeouts with 118, leading a solid Astros bullpen. He was part of the six-pitcher no-hitter against the New York Yankees on June 11, 2003. He was promoted to closer for the 2004 season after pitcher Billy Wagner was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. On June 24, 2004, Dotel was traded to the Oakland Athletics in a three-team deal that brought outfielder Carlos Beltrán to Houston.

After the trade to Oakland, Dotel would become a journeyman around the MLB, pitching for the Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburg Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers. He won a World Series Championship with the Cardinals in 2011.

His debut for the Tigers in 2012 gave him the record for most teams played for in MLB history at 13. He last played in the MLB with the Tigers in 2013, later announcing his retirement from baseball in October 2014.

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Ex-Astros Pitcher Octavio Dotel Killed in Deadly Night Club Collapse  was originally published on houstonseagle.com