Octavio Dotel Obituary, Death;- Octavio Dotel, a former pitcher who played for 13 major league teams over a 15-year career and secured a world championship with the St. Louis Cardinals, tragically lost his life following a roof collapse at a nightclub in his home country of the Dominican Republic, where he was attending a merengue concert. He was 51 years old.
Initially, officials reported that Dotel had been rescued from the rubble and taken to a hospital; however, Satosky Terrero, a spokesman for the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic, later confirmed to The Associated Press that Dotel passed away later that Tuesday.
The collapse at the Jet Set nightclub resulted in at least 58 fatalities and left 160 individuals injured, according to officials. Tony Blanco, who had one season in Major League Baseball and spent eight years playing professionally in Japan, also perished in the incident, as stated by Terrero.
Dotel began his professional career with the New York Mets in 1993 as an amateur free agent and made his major league debut in 1999. Initially a starting pitcher, he evolved into a dependable and at times formidable reliever, participating in 758 games from 1999 to 2013.
On April 7, 2012, when he took the mound for the Detroit Tigers, Dotel set a record for playing with the most major league teams at 13. This record was later surpassed by Edwin Jackson in 2019 when he pitched for his 14th team. In honor of Dotel, the Mets observed a moment of silence before their game against Miami on Tuesday, displaying a Dominican flag on the video scoreboard.
Dotel’s most notable performances occurred during his time with the Houston Astros in the early 2000s, where he served as a setup man for star closer Billy Wagner. He made 302 appearances and recorded a 3.25 ERA over four-plus seasons. In 2003, he was one of six pitchers who combined to achieve a no-hitter against the New York Yankees. The following year, he was involved in a three-way trade that brought Carlos Beltran to the Astros.
Before joining the Cardinals, Dotel played for nine teams and was acquired from Toronto at the 2011 trade deadline. He participated in 12 postseason games, including five in the World Series against Texas. In 2013, he was a member of the Dominican Republic team that won the World Baseball Classic, finishing with an impressive 8-0 record.
