Tony Blanco and Octavio Dotel: MLB figures who died in Dominican Republic nightclub collapse

According to the most recent reports, the roof of the iconic Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo collapsed on Tuesday, April 8, during a packed concert. The damage was heartbreaking, with at least 98 people having lost their lives and more than 150 others leaving the site with injuries. Local media said there were somewhere between 500 and 1,000 people in the club when disaster struck.

The Jet Set Club has been in operation for more than 50 years, with shows every Monday until the early hours of the morning. On the night of the incident, popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez was performing and, according to his manager, was also among those who perished in the brutal accident.

There has never been a tragedy even close to this magnitude in the club’s history, and dozens of families are mourning the loss of loved ones in the wake of this unforeseen disaster.

Among the nearly 100 casualties were two MLB players, Tony Blanco and Octavio Dotel. Scores of fans, ex-teammates, and family members have taken to social media to mourn their loss as true pillars of the community and examples of Dominican success stories.

Tragedy strikes at the heart of Major League Baseball

Tony Blanco was a consummate professional who had a fruitful career in baseball. He was born in the Dominican Republic and began his career in the Boston Red Sox farm system before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds. It was in his tenure at the Reds’ farm system team where Blanco set himself apart, and his performance led to a Major League call-up in 2005 for the Washington Nationals.

He eventually parlayed his stint in the MLB into a career in Nippon Pro Baseball, where he represented the Chunichi Dragons in competition. Blanco was 44. His son, Tony Blanco Jr., is currently a prospect with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

World Series-winning pitcher Octavio Dotel also lost his life in the nightclub incident that has shaken up the Dominican Republic as well as the baseball world. Dotel was 51 at the time of his death. Octavio started his 15-year MLB career with the New York Mets in 1999 and subsequently played for 13 different teams.

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His longest tenure was with the Houston Astros, where he pitched between 2000 and 2004. The high point in his career came when he was part of the St. Louis Cardinals World Series-winning roster in 2011. His final season in the majors was with the Detroit Tigers in 2013, and Dotel was known as a strikeout pitcher who, at the peak of his powers, was one of the best relievers in the league.

Nelsy Cruz, the sister of former heavy-batted MLB sensation Nelson Cruz, was another of the victims. At the time of her death, she was serving as the governor of the northwestern Dominican Republic province of Montecristi.

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