Octavio Dotel, Former MLB Pitcher, Dies at Age 51 After Nightclub Roof Collapse

Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel died Tuesday at age 51 following the collapse of a nightclub roof in the Dominican Republic.

A spokesperson from the Dominican Republic's sports ministry confirmed the news, per USA Today's Steve Gardner.

The roof collapse, which occurred at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, killed at least 44 people and injured at least 130, per Reuters.

MLB reporter Mike Rodriguez wrote earlier Tuesday that Dotel was rescued from the nightclub but declared dead at a local hospital.

Dotel made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 1999. He played for 13 clubs over 15 seasons in the majors.

He won the 2011 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals and then set a record for playing for the most MLB teams in history when he pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 2012.

Dotel last appeared in MLB action in April 2013. He recorded 109 saves in 758 regular-season games.

The Mets held a moment of silence in Dotel's honor before Tuesday's afternoon game against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field.

The Houston Astros also honored Dotel's memory on Tuesday.

Former Washington Nationals player Tony Blanco was also killed in the collapse, per MLB reporter Héctor Gómez.

Blanco appeared in 56 games for the Nationals during the 2005 season.

According to Gómez, Blanco was with former MLB player Esteban Germán shortly before he died.

Gómez wrote that Germán "was returning from the bathroom and, before sitting down at the table, Tony Blanco pushed him when he realized part of the ceiling was about to fall on him."

Nelsy Milagros Cruz Martínez, governor of the Dominican Republic's Montecristi province and sister of former MLB slugger Nelson Cruz, was also killed in the collapse, per Dominican Today.

Cruz said in a statement shared on his Instagram story (translation h/ Today.com's Drew Weisholtz and Nicole Collazo Santana): "With profound pain, the Cruz Martínez family informs the passing of our beloved sister, mother, daughter, aunt and friend, Nelsy M. Cruz Martínez, who in her life moved with dedication, commitment and love for her people and community."