Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, who had stints with both the Mets and Yankees during his 15-year career, died during a rooftop collapse at a Dominican Republic nightclub on Tuesday.
The 51-year-old Dotel, who also did a rehab stint with the now-defunct Staten Island Yankees in 2006, was pulled from the rubble alive at the Jet Set nightclub, according to MLB’s Hector Gomez. But the former right-hander didn’t make it to the hospital as he passed away while being transported.
Dotel was one of 44 people who perished and 160 during the tragic accident. Jet Set is located in Santo Domingo, which is the Caribbean nation‘s capitol.
Those in attendance were being treated to a performance by merengue singer Rubby Perez.
First responders are still searching for survivors. There was no immediate explanation on why the roof collapsed.
Dotel spent 15 seasons in the majors beginning in 1999 before retiring in 2014. He played for 13 different clubs after signing with the Mets as an amateur free agent in 1993.
The right-hander made his MLB debut with the Mets in 1999, but was traded to the Astros during the off-season as part of the package that brought former star left-hander Mike Hampton to Queens.
He signed with the Yankees while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2006 and made a rehab appearance at the former Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George in July of 2006. He made his Yankees debut a month later.
While pitching for the New York Yankees, Octavia Dotel made a rehab appearance with the Staten Island Yankees in July of 2006. (Staten Island Advance/SILive.com)Staten Island Advance/SILive.com
Dotel, who was a Dominican Republic native, won a World Series title with the Cardinals in 2011 and finished with a career 59-50 record with 3.78 ERA, 109 saves and 1,143 strikeouts over the course of his career.
According to Wikipedia, ’his strikeout rate of 10.8 per nine innings is the best in the history of baseball for right-handed pitchers with at least 900 innings pitched.’
Dotel had is legal issues. He was arrested in the summer of 2019 for taking part in a drug trafficking and money laundering. The latter charge was dropped, but at the time of his death he was still facing a charge of possession an illegal weapon when he was arrested 5 1/2 years ago.