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A second former Major League Baseball player was confirmed to be among the at least 124 people killed after a Dominican Republic nightclub's roof collapsed, the New York Post reported citing Noticias SIN, a local Dominican media outlet.
Tony Blanco, who played for the Washington Nationals in 2005, was identified hours after 15-year veteran pitcher Octavio Dotel. Dotel, 51, accompanied Blanco, 45, to Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the country's capital city, when the incident took place midway through popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez's performance, according to Gen. Juan Manuel Mndez, director of the Santo Domingo Center of Emergency Operations.
Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi, and a saxophonist in Pérez's band were also reported to be among the people killed in the incident. Dotel was initially reported to have been pulled out alive from the rubble, but later declared dead at a hospital, MLB insider Mike Rodriguez reported on Tuesday (April 8).
"Tragic event: After the authorities saved him alive from the rubble of the nightclub, former MLB player and World Series champion Octavio Dotel has been declared dead at the hospital. A great human being and lovely person, much strength to his family. We, your friends, will miss you very much. #OctavioDotel," Rodriguez wrote on his X account.
Dotel pitched for 13 teams during his 15-year MLB career, which included winning the 2011 World Series as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, as well as 100 or more strikeouts during four of his five seasons with the Houston Astros. Blanco hit for a .177 average with one home run and seven RBIs during his brief MLB stint, as well as a .272 average, 181 home runs and 542 RBIs while playing in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league.