How did Octavio Dotel die? All you need to know about the former Astros pitcher's passing

Former Houston Astros pitcher Octavio Dotel was a tough pitcher in the big leagues. He had a 15-year career in the big leagues, where he played for 13 different teams, but spent the most time in Houston.

He hung up his cleats following the 2013 season at the age of 40. He retired on a high note, being the only right-handed pitcher with 900 innings pitched to have a strikeout rate of 10.8 batters.

Unfortunately, news dropped on Tuesday that the former pitcher had passed away. He was involved in a scary incident at a Dominican Republic nightclub where the roof caved in.

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Dotel was reportedly trapped for 11 hours before he was pulled from the rubble. Initially, he was declared one of the survivors, but he later passed away after being taken to the hospital.

There were a total of 160 people who were injured on Tuesday morning. According to ESPN, at least 44 people were killed when the roof collapsed. Dotel was one of the few bigger names who were killed in the incident.

Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwest province of Montecristi and the sister of Nelson Cruz, also passed away. This is certainly a tough time for the people in the DR.

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The incident occurred roughly around 1 a.m., when nearly 300 people were inside the nightclub. The structure is believed to have collapsed as a result of a structural failure.

Octavio Dotel made the most of his MLB career

MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at Detroit Tigers - Source: Imagn

Octavio Dotel got his start in the big leagues after signing a deal with the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1993. He spent a few seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut on June 26, 1999, against the Atlanta Braves.

Later that year, Dotel would be traded to the Houston Astros. This would be the team that he spent most of his big-league career with. In 2000, he transitioned from a starter to a bullpen role to help fill in for the injured Billy Wagner.

He was one of the multiple Houston pitchers that combined to throw a no-hitter against the New York Yankees in 2003. However, after five years in Houston, his time was up.

Dotel would go on to play for a multitude of teams after that. Mainly on one-year deals, he was a member of the Athletics, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Tigers.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Jared "Bloomy" Bloom