Report: Former Pirates Closer Dies After Nightclub Roof Collapse
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates tragically lost one of their former players recently after a terrifying event.
Former Pirates closer Octavio Dotel died following injuries he suffered from a roof collapse at the Jet Set Night Club in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, according to Héctor Gómez of Ministerio Deportes.
Gómez originally reported that Dotel survived after authorities rescued him, but later reported that Dotel died later on the way to the hospital. Dotel was 51 years old.
Dotel hailed from Santo Domingo and was born on Nov. 25, 1973. He would sign as an amateur free agent with the New York Mets and would make his debut on June 26, 1999.
The Mets would trade him to the Houston Astros that offseason, where he would spend the next four-and-a-half seasons from 2000-04.
He also served as one of six pitchers for the Astros who threw a combined no-hitter on June 11, 2003 and led all MLB relievers with 118 strikeouts in 2002, transitioning from a starter to the bullpen.
Houston traded Dotel to the Oakland Athletics on June 24, 2004 and he finished with a career-high 36 saves that season.
Dotel dealt with injuries in 2005 and ultimately had Tommy John surgery, which then affected how he pitched with the New York Yankees in 2006, finishing with a 10.80 ERA in just 10 innings.
He signed with the Kansas City Royals in the offseason and they would trade him to the Atlanta Braves on July 31, 2007. He finished that season with a 4.11 ERA in 33 appearances over 30.2 innings pitched.
Dotel then signed with the Chicago White Sox on a two-year, $11 million deal. He finished with a 7-7 record in 134 appearances, a 3.55 ERA in 129.1 innnings pitched and 167 strikeouts.
He signed with the Pirates on a one-year, $3.25 million deal ahead of the 2010 season. Dotel served as the Pirates closer, with a 2-2 record in 41 appearances, a 4.28 ERA in 40.0 innings pitched and 21 saves.
The Pirates traded Dotel to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31 for right-handed pitcher James McDonald and outfielder/first baseman Andrew Lambo. The Dodgers then traded Dotel to the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 18 and he pitched eight games there.
Dotel signed with the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 2011 season and then they traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals on July 27, where he played a role in helping them win the World Series.
He would sign with the Detroit Tigers and he spent his final two seasons with them before retiring in 2014.
Dotel originally set the record for most teams pitched for in the MLB with 14 when he retired, before Edwin Jackson broke that record in 2019.
He finished his career with a 59-50 record in 758 appearances and 34 starts, a 3.78 ERA over 951.0 innings pitched and 1,143 strikeouts.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.