HOUSTON – Octavio Dotel’s teammates during his time with the Astros spoke fondly of his humor, humility and big heart. Dotel, who passed away early Tuesday in his native Dominican Republic, was also a dominant relief pitcher who pitched in 302 games during his five seasons in Houston, where he became a fan favorite.
Dotel, former utilityman Tony Blanco and Nelsy Cruz -- sister of former big league slugger Nelson Cruz -- were killed early Tuesday morning when the roof collapsed at a popular nightclub in the Dominican Republic. Dotel, 51, was initially found alive and pulled from the rubble, but later died while being taken to a local hospital.
A veteran of 15 Major League seasons from 1999-2013, Dotel pitched for 13 teams, but spent most of his time in Houston, where he pitched from 2000-04. Dotel, Brad Lidge and Hall of Famer Billy Wagner formed a dominating back end of the bullpen in '03.
“I can hardly believe it,” Lidge said.
“Breaks my heart,” Wagner said.
Dotel came to Houston prior to the 2000 season in a deal that sent Mike Hampton and Derek Bell to the Mets. Wagner was already an established closer in ‘03, which turned out to be his final season in Houston. And Lidge was a first-round pick of the Astros in 1998 who made his debut in 2002 before his breakout ‘03 season.
“Honestly, I think he was a completely unique teammate, I can say, from anyone I never had in any bullpen,” Lidge said. “He kind of lived and he kind of played baseball like he was a kid that was joyous just to be playing, which is how we should all play but is not the reality of it. Major League Baseball is very stressful, especially if you’re a bullpen pitcher, but he seemed to not feel that stress. He seemed to be playing with house money his whole career.”
The Astros were 21-4 when Lidge, Dotel and Wagner were the final three pitchers in a game in ‘03, with a combined 2.51 ERA in those outings. Dotel posted a 1.85 ERA in 83 games in ‘02 with 118 strikeouts in 97 1/3 innings and a 2.48 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 87 innings in ’03. Dotel struck out four batters in the eighth inning of the Astros’ six-pitcher no-hitter at Yankee Stadium on June 11, 2003. He also threw the first official pitch at Enron Field, which is now Daikin Park.
“He kept everything light-hearted, for sure,” Wagner said. “A lot of times he was going out there in the eighth inning and he would go out there and punch out three guys. He made going out in the ninth a lot easier a lot of the time, just because of his ability to pitch two innings or go pick up an inning here and there and just be so dominating.”
Dotel was traded to the A’s on June 24, 2004, in the three-team deal that brought outfielder Carlos Beltran to Houston for the first time. Craig Biggio, the Astros’ Hall of Fame second baseman, said Dotel loved life and loved competing. Biggio said Dotel would often sing songs with his sons, Conor and Cavan.
Dotel is one of four members of the 2000 Astros who have passed away, joining Ken Caminiti, Jose Lima and Julio Lugo.
“All we have left is our memories of what we had as teammates and friends and we’ve lost another good one, a great one,” Biggio said. “Lima was Lima, but then O.D. was O.D. and he had fun and enjoyed it and loved life. It’s a tough day for him and his family and everybody that knew him.”