Former Major Leaguer Octavio Dotel 'Dies on Way to Hospital' After Being Pulled Out Alive From The Rubble Following Dominican Nightclub Roof Collapse
Dotel died on the way to the hospital after being pulled from the wreckage of the collapsed roof.
April 8 2025, Published 2:12 p.m. ET
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel has reportedly passed away, RadarOnline.com can reveal, after being trapped in the rubble when the roof of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed Tuesday.
At least 44 people are dead and 160 more injured as rescue workers continued a frantic search for survivors.
Rescue crews raced to save survivors following the roof collapse.
MLB insider Hector Gomez tweeted Dotel, 51, was pulled from the carnage, but died on his way to the hospital.
At least 100 people are estimated to still be missing after the ceiling caved in at Jet Set, a popular club in the Dominican Republic, while merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra were performing on stage.
Dotel spent 15 years in the majors with 13 different teams, the second most teams played for by any player in the history of the MLB.
His longest tenure with any one team was the five seasons he spent with the Houston Astros, however, he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals when they won the World Series in 2011.
The former athlete was pulled alive from the rubble but succumbed on his way to the hospital.
Also killed in the tragedy was former Major League Baseball star Tony Blanco, who played for the Washington Nationals in 2005.
Dotel was at the club with friends and former big leaguers Henry Blanco, who played for the Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Esteban Germán, who played for the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics. They both left before the roof collapse.
Germán posted a video of Pérez performing on his Instagram Story just before the accident. He later sent a message sharing: "Lord I'm fine thanks to God.. I'm out here trying to help.. in case I don't answer."
Fans on X shared their grief for and memories of Dotel.
One person tweeted: "RIP. Always enjoyed watching him pitch. Lost too soon," as another echoed, "This one stings. RIP to a legend on and off the diamond. Gone way too soon."
A third added: "Loved watching him pitch. Shocked he is gone. May he Rest in Peace."
Dotel won the 2011 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
At least 146 people have so far been pulled alive from the debris of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the country’s capital. Officials confirmed at least 300 people were inside the venue at the time of the collapse.
The cause of the collapse is not yet known. A mobile phone clip uploaded on social media showed a man standing next to the stage claiming "something fell from the ceiling" while pointing to the roof.
Rescue crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble at the club, according to Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations.
He said: "We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble."
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Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, was among the victims.
Perez's manager, Enrique Paulino told reporters at the scene that the concert began shortly before midnight, with the roof collapsing almost an hour later, killing the group’s saxophonist.
While covered in blood, he said: "It happened so quickly. I managed to throw myself into a corner," adding that he initially thought it was an earthquake.
