Who were Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco, ex-MLB players killed in Dominican Republic roof collapse?

Former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco were among the victims who lost their lives when the roof of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed on Tuesday. As of now, 58 people have been confirmed dead, and 160 others have been injured, according to the Associated Press. The incident occurred at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo during a performance by merengue singer Rubby Perez.

Who was Octavio Dotel?

Octavio Dotel, 51, was a native of Santo Domingo. Over the course of his 15-season career in Major League Baseball, from 1999 to 2013, Dotel played for 13 different teams. He was initially signed by the New York Mets, making his MLB debut in 1999 before being traded to the Houston Astros. Dotel spent five years in Houston before moving on to play for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers. Dotel announced his retirement in October 2014 at the age of 40.

Dotel was among the eight individuals pulled alive from the rubble, but he later succumbed to his injuries while being transported to the hospital, as confirmed by General Juan Manuel Mendez, head of emergency operations, to Noticias SIN.

Who was Tony Blanco?

Tony Blanco, a former first baseman, played in the minor leagues with the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds during the early 2000s before briefly appearing in the majors with the Washington Nationals in 2005.

Blanco was at the nightclub with another former MLB player, Esteban German. According to reports from Larry Brown Sports, Blanco noticed the ceiling collapsing and managed to push German out of the way. German recounted that Blanco passed away just seconds after the collapse. Blanco was 43 years old at the time of his death.