Former major league pitcher Octavio Dotel dies in nightclub collapse
Former major league pitcher Octavio Dotel is among the dozens dead after the roof of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic collapsed.
SAN FRANCISCO − Noelvi Marte’s 2025 season received a boost when he was called up to rejoin the Cincinnati Reds’ big-league team in San Francisco, but his mind was on the Dominican Republic.
Marte, the infielder who was cut from the Reds’ big-league team in spring training, earned his way back to the majors over nine solid outings with the Triple-A Louisville Bats. But when he was asked at his Oracle Park locker room stall about being back in the big leagues, his first comments were regarding the fatal roof collapse at a Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, nightclub that touched the baseball world.
Among the 60-plus people confirmed dead as a result of the roof collapse around 1 a.m. Tuesday at the “Jet Set” nightclub, it was confirmed that former MLB reliever Octavio Dotel, utility-man Tony Blanco and Nelsy Cruz − sister of now-retired big league slugger Nelson Cruz − were among those killed.
“First of all, I want to express my condolences to the families in the Dominican Republic that just happened,” Marte said. “From here, I want to send all my best wishes to them.”
Marte, of Cotui, Dominican Republic, said he didn’t personally know anyone impacted by the fatal roof collapse, but indicated there were significant cultural losses for Dominicans.
“There were a lot of influencers in that area,” Marte said via team interpreter Tomas Vera.
Reds manager Terry Francona was prompted on the subject during his pregame meeting with reporters, saying reading about the incident made him feel like he’d been “kicked in the stomach.”
Francona said he faced Dotel a closer “a million times,” adding: “I don’t care what their career spanned. This is life. That’s hard to take… That’s a tough one to take.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement Tuesday afternoon on the Santo Domingo nightclub tragedy, saying, “Major League Baseball is deeply saddened by the passings of Octavio Dotel, Tony Blanco, Nelsy Cruz, and all the victims of last night’s tragedy in Santo Domingo. We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family. The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today.”
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