Former Astros pitcher Octavio Dotel dies in nightclub roof collapse
CHICAGO - JUNE 2: Octavio Dotel #29 of the Houston Astros throws against the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning of the game on June 2, 2004 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB via Getty Images)
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Octavio Dotel, a former Houston Astros pitcher whose career spanned 15 years and 13 teams, was among those killed after the roof collapsed at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic early Tuesday. He was 51.
What we know:
Dotel's death was announced by the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League, LIDOM on X. Officials had earlier rescued Dotel from the debris and transported him to a hospital, the Associated Press reported.
Dotel spent five seasons with the Astros from 2000-2004 had 552 strikeouts, 42 saves and a 3.25 earned run average and was part of a bullpen that included Hall of Famer Billy Wagner and all-star Brad Lidge.
The Astros also posted about Dotel's death on social media, calling him a "workhorse" for his 159 appearances for the team in 2002-2003.
Dotel's career included stints with the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies.
Baseball: World Series: St. Louis Cardinals Lance Berkman (12) and Octavio Dotel with stuffed animal squirrel, victorious, standing next to Commissioner's Trophy on field after game vs Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium. Game 7. St. Louis, MO 10/28/2011
Dotel had 109 career saves in 758 appearances with a 3.78 ERA and 1143 strikeouts in 951 innings pitched. He won the 2011 World Series with the Cardinals.
When he took the mound for the Detroit Tigers on April 7, 2012, he set the record playing for the most major league teams at 13. Edwin Jackson broke the record in 2019 when he pitched for his 14th team.
Jet Set nightclub roof collapse
At least 58 people died, and 160 others were injured when the roof of Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo, early Tuesday.
The club was hosting a meringue concert that was being attended by politicians, athletes and others.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi and sister of MLB all-star Nelson Cruz, was among the victims.
The injured included legislator Bray Vargas and singer Rubby Perez who was performing when the roof collapsed. Perez's manager said the concert started just before midnight and the roof collapsed about an hour later.
Nearly 12 hours after the top of the nightclub collapsed down onto patrons, rescue crews were still pulling out survivors from the debris. At the scene, firefighters removed blocks of broken concrete and sawed planks of wood to use them as planks to lift heavy debris as the noise of drills breaking through concrete filled the air.
Personnel from civil defense and firefighters work at the Jet Set nightclub following the collapse of its roof in Santo Domingo on April 8, 2025. Rescuers raced to find survivors Tuesday among the rubble of a Dominican Republic night club where at le
At one hospital where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading aloud the names of survivors as a crowd gathered around her and yelled out the names of their loved ones.
Meanwhile, dozens of people gathered at the National Institute of Forensic Pathology, which projected pictures of the victims so their loved ones could identify them.
The Source: Information on the death of Octavio Dotel comes from the LIDOM and Houston Astros X accounts. Dotel's career stats come from the Houston Astros. Information on the Jet Set nightclub roof collapse comes from the Associated Press.