Octavio Dotel obit

Former MLB Pitcher Dies Following Dominican Night Club Collapse: Reports

 

He was not on the list.

Former major leaguers Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco were among the dozens who perished after the roof of the Jet Set night club in the Dominican Republic collapsed during a concert early Tuesday.

Dotel, 51, passed away after being rescued alive from the rubble in Santo Domingo's National District. Blanco, 43, was confirmed dead last in the day.

NoticiasSin.com and Dionisio Soldevila reported Dotel was found buried in the rubble when the roof collapsed on the club early Tuesday morning. Hector Gomez and Diario Libre were among several in the Dominican Republic to report that Dotel passed away while being transferred to a hospital.

Dotel pitched for 13 different teams during a 15-year major league career: the New York Mets, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers.

No major league player had ever worn that many uniforms during his career until pitcher Edwin Jackson broke the record in 2019.

Dotel won a World Series ring with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. He retired after the 2013 season with a 59-50 record, 3.78 ERA and 109 saves in 758 career games.

Dotel spent most of his career as a relief pitcher, including several stints as a closer, during which time he recorded 109 saves. Dotel's longest tenure with a single team was the five seasons he spent with the Houston Astros. On June 11, 2003, he combined with five other Astros pitchers to pitch a no-hitter.

Dotel won the 2011 World Series while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. As a member of the Detroit Tigers in 2012, he set the record for playing with the most major leagues teams, a record that stood until 2019. In 2013, as a member of the Dominican national team, Dotel won the World Baseball Classic championship; along with fellow Dominicans Robinson Canó and Santiago Casilla, he became one of the few players in history to win both a World Series and a World Baseball Classic.

Dotel graduated from Liceo Cansino Afuera in the Dominican Republic and was signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1993. He played for their minor league affiliate in the Dominican Summer League through 1994 and then promoted through the Mets' minor league system for the next several seasons. Dotel made his MLB debut on June 26, 1999, for the Mets, taking the loss in a 7–2 defeat to the Atlanta Braves. His first MLB win came July 1, 1999, against the Florida Marlins. He ended the season pitching three innings in relief and as the winning pitcher in the 15-inning Game 5 of the 1999 National League Championship Series against the Braves. The game ended with Robin Ventura's Grand Slam Single.

On December 23, 1999, Dotel was traded by the Mets with Roger Cedeño and minor leaguer Kyle Kessel to the Houston Astros for Mike Hampton and Derek Bell.

In 2000, Dotel went 3–7 with 16 saves and a 5.40 ERA in 50 games (16 starts). His role was converted from a starter to a relief pitcher for the Astros, and Dotel began to fill in as closer for an injured Billy Wagner. This season marked the first time in National League history that a pitcher had over 15 starts and 15 saves (the only other season in MLB history came in the American League in 1999 when Tim Wakefield won six games in 17 starts and attained 15 saves for the Boston Red Sox).

In 2001, Dotel again began the season as a starter but moved into the bullpen as the setup man for Wagner. Dotel had an excellent season in 2002; he led all relievers with 118 strikeouts and helped secure a well-reputed bullpen for the Astros at that time. By 2003, Dotel and Wagner were joined by future Astros closer Brad Lidge and all three partook in a historic event in which six Astros pitchers combined for a no-hitter against the New York Yankees on June 11, 2003.

After the 2003 season, Wagner was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, and Dotel started 2004 as the closer for the Astros.

On June 24, 2004, Dotel was traded to the Oakland Athletics in a three-team trade that sent Carlos Beltrán to the Astros, minor leaguer Mike Wood, Mark Teahen, and John Buck to the Kansas City Royals. Dotel served as closer for the Athletics and finished the 2004 season with a combined 6–6 record with a 3.69 ERA and a career-high 36 saves (22 for the A's and 14 for the Astros) in 77 relief appearances.

Dotel began 2005 as closer for the Athletics again, but had a rough start and went on the 60-day disabled list on May 21. It was later announced on June 2 that he would undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season after just 15 games.

Dotel signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the New York Yankees in December 2005. He missed the first four months of the 2006 season, recovering from his Tommy John surgery. Dotel had a setback after developing tendinitis in his elbow while on a rehab assignment with the Trenton Thunder. This pushed his return into August as he went through another minor league assignment with the Columbus Clippers. Dotel pitched his first game in a Yankees uniform on August 16, coming into the game in the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles, facing two batters with one strikeout and one walk.

In August 2019, Dotel was arrested on charges related to a drug trafficking and money laundering operation, while Luis Castillo was cited for related charges. Later that month, a judge cleared Dotel and Castillo of the money laundering charges. At the time of his death, Dotel was still facing a charge for allegedly possessing an illegal weapon at the time of his arrest.