2025 Red Sox and MLB Thread

Octavio Dotel, a major league pitcher for 15 seasons, is reportedly among those trapped in the rubble of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic whose roof collapsed early Tuesday morning.

MLB insider Hector Gomez reported just after 8 a.m. that Dotel was alive as rescue crews were attempting to reach survivors.

NBC News says at least 15 people are dead and more than 100 were injured after the roof of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo crumbled during a performance by merengue singer Rubby Perez.




Dotel, 51, is a native of Santo Domingo who played for 13 teams over his 15 seasons in the majors from 1999 to 2013. Originally signed by the New York Mets, Dotel was traded to the Houston Astros after making his MLB debut in 1999 and he spent five years in Houston -- where he developed into one of the National League's top setup men.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Octavio Dotel pitches during Game 3 of the 2011 World Series against the Texas Rangers.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Octavio Dotel pitches during Game 3 of the 2011 World Series against the Texas Rangers.
After ascending to the closer's role in Houston in 2004, Dotel was part of a blockbuster three-team trade with Oakland and Kansas City headlined by outfielder Carlos Beltran. He continued to close as a member of the A's and finished the season with a career-high 36 saves.



He continued to pitch effectively into his late 30s, finally winning a World Series ring as a member of the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. He posted a 2.61 ERA with a pair of wins over 12 postseason appearances that season.




And he returned to the World Series the following season with the Detroit Tigers, pitching five scoreless innings over six postseason appearances as the Tigers eventually fell to the San Francisco Giants in the Fall Classic.
 
 
Two former MLBl players, including World Series champ Octavio Dotel, were among at least 66 people killed when a Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapsed Tuesday, according to local media reports.

Dotel — who started as a Mets prospect and won a ring with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 — and Tony Blanco — who played briefly for the Washington Nationals — died after the roof caved in at the renowned Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo as popular merengue singer Rubby Pére performed, Dominican outlet Noticias SIN reported.

Dotel, 51, had accompanied Blanco, 45, to the venue, head of emergency operations Gen. Juan Manuel Mendez confirmed to Noticias SIN....
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Two ex-MLB players among at least 66 killed in nightmare Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse
 
Throughout the Boston Red Sox’s 123-year history, over 1900 players have donned the Red Sox uniform, yet only ten have had their number retired by the organization. (Jackie Robinson’s league-wide retired number 42 makes 11) All but one player to have their number retired at Fenway Park have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Cooperstown, ensuring only the best players in Red Sox history are enshrined with immortality at Fenway Park.

Ted Williams, Joe Cronin, Bobby Doerr, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Pesky, Jim Rice, Pedro Martinez, Wade Boggs, David Ortiz and Jackie Robinson have their numbers retired at Fenway Park; and are considered the best players in Franchise history. Photo Credit: Boston Herald​
The Case for Dwight Evans’s Number Retirement
However, there is one glaring omission in legendary Red Sox right fielder Dwight Evans. Evans spent 19 seasons with the Boston Red Sox and is second in franchise history in games played only behind Carl Yastrzemski. Below is a table showing where Dwight Evans ranks in Red Sox franchise history in several key stats.
Category TotalRanking Notes
Gold Gloves 81stThe greatest defensive outfielder of his era
Runs Scored 14353rdBehind only Yaz and Williams
Hits23734thBehind only Yaz, Williams and Rice
Total Bases41284thBehind only Yaz, Williams and Rice
Extra Base Hits 9254thBehind only Yaz, Williams and Ortiz
Wins Above Replacement 66.65thBehind only Williams, Yaz, Clemens and Boggs
Runs Batted In13465thBehind only Yaz. Williams, Ortiz and Rice
Home Runs3795thOnly behind Williams, Ortiz, Yaz and Rice
Suppose you’re still not convinced that Dwight Evans’s number should be retired at Fenway Park despite spending 19 seasons in Boston, playing the second-most games in franchise history, winning the most Gold Gloves in franchise history, and ranking in the top 5 of nearly every important offensive statistic. In that case, I have some more convincing to do. For the Red Sox fans who only care about players who win or are clutch and despise Ted Williams for not being clutch in the 1946 World Series because you hate everything. (Yes, those people exist somehow). I have another fact for you.
This is quite the list
If Bob Stanley and the 1986 Red Sox had not squandered the opportunity to break the curse of the Bambino, the World Series MVP that year would likely have been awarded to Dwight Evans, who led the Red Sox in Home Runs, extra-base hits, RBIs, and OPS. It would be Dwight Evans, not David Ortiz, who we would credit for breaking the curse of the bambino. So Evans had the clutch factor as well.
People value the clutch factor, and Dwight Evans had it. He was unlucky to be a player ahead of his time, and he is even more unlucky not to have been the 1986 WS MVP. Evans did everything he could to break the curse of the bambino, which would have immortalized him forever.
It seems like a slam dunk for Dwight Evans to have his number retired by the organization, as Evans is one of the best and most significant players in franchise history. But as I mentioned earlier, only one Red Sox player has had their number retired by the organization without reaching the Hall of Fame, and that was the beloved Johnny Pesky, who spent 61 years in the Red Sox organization as a player, manager, and coach.
The Hall of Fame is an important credential for the Red Sox organization to retire a player’s number. Roger Clemens’s number 21 has not been worn since he left Boston at the end of the 1996 season, but he has not retired because of Clemens’s omission from the Hall of Fame (That is a whole other article). According to an article by MLB.com’s Ian Browne, John Henry and Tom Werner no longer have strict requirements for retiring a player’s number. However, Hall of Fame credentials are still heavily valued, as illustrated by Roger Clemens’s case.
Dwight Evans should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame
The most significant glaring omission from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Red Sox history (with no scandal attached) is Dwight Evans. The Red Sox organization has a more than fair standard. Nonetheless, the Red Sox must make a second exemption for Dwight Evans, as it is a travesty that he is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The second table details the case for Dwight Evans’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by comparing him to other players in the 1980s.
Category Total Ranking Notes
Gold Gloves8 4th among OF all time Only Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Al Kaline have more GG than Dwight Evans among outfielders. All three are in the HOF
Wins Run Created Plus (wRC)10761st in MLBOnly players with a wRC of over 1000 throughout the 1980s. Ahead of Robin Yount, George Brett and Cal Ripken Jr.
Extra Base Hits 6051stAhead of Dale Murphy, Robin Yount, Andre Dawson and Eddie Murray. (Yount, Dawson and Murray are in HOF)
Home Runs2564th (MLB), 1st (AL)Behind only Mike Schmidt, Dale Murphy and Eddie Murray (Schmidt and Murray are in HOF)
Runs Batted In9084th (MLB) 2nd (AL)HOF 1B Eddie Murray and Dwight Evans are the only American League with 900 RBIs
Hits 1,4977th (MLB), 3rd (AL)6 of 7 players with more hits than Evans are in the HOF
Total Bases2,6574th (MLB) 2nd (AL)Behind only Murphy, Murray and Dawson
OBP .3853rd (MLB) 2nd (AL)Only HOF 1B George Brett had a higher OBP in the American League throughout the 1980s
SLG %.497 T-5 (MLB); T-3 (AL)Don Mattingly is the only non HOF player with a higher SLG%than Dwight Evans in the 1980s
Wins Run Created Plus (wRC+)139T-6 (MLB), 4th (MLB)Only George Brett, Eddie Murray and Don Mattingly have a better wRC+. Evans ranks ahead of Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Robin Yount.
The National Baseball Writers Association of America is in charge of the Hall of Fame voting and selection process, dropped the ball with Dwight Evans, who has only spent three years on the ballot, with a one-year Modern Baseball Era committee ballot in 2019.
Evans is far from the first player the BBWAA has snubbed from the Hall of Fame, and he certainly will not be the last. The Hall of Fame voting process is highly flawed.
I love the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is my favorite place. I do not think there is anything I am more passionate about, but I hate the politics of it. (The Hall of Fame itself has nothing to do with the politics of Major League baseball & the BBWAA.) I only criticize the process because I believe it can be better. One day, I hope it is.
Unfortunately for Evans, when he was on the ballot, the BBWAA cared about milestones such as 2,500 hits and 400 home runs, which he failed to reach. Those milestones have been far less important in recent years, especially with the induction of players such as Joe Mauer and Scott Rolen, who, like Evans, have advanced stats that illustrate their greatness.
If you still need to be convinced of Evans’s Hall of Fame candidacy, I have one last fact to support the case. There are 189 position players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Only 50 baseball players can match Evans’s 66.7 Wins Above Replacement totals and .840 OPS, 43 of which are in the Hall of Fame. Of the eight not in Cooperstown, four are tied to steroids (Bonds, A-Rod, Rafael Palmeiro, and Manny Ramirez). Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, and Mookie Betts are the remaining three who are not Hall of Fame eligible or are still active. So, what’s the excuse for leaving out Dwight Evans?
Important to note OPS was likely not considered by the BBWAA during Evans’s time on the HOF ballot as it did not become mainstream until after 2002.
Dwight Evans was a player ahead of his time
Evans is a victim of the lack of knowledge many outside the game had throughout his era. Several stats that indicate how great Dwight Evans was, such as Wins Above Replacement, on-base percentage, on-base plus Slugging percentage, were either brand new and not common knowledge among baseball viewers or nonexistent. However, Evans was ahead of his time.
On-Base Percentage was invented by Dodgers executive Branch Rickey and Allan Roth after World War 2 but was not officially recognized as a stat until 1984. Evans’s philosophy on hitting was way ahead of its time.
The BBWAA also cared about individual accolades, such as the MVP award, which Evans never won. However, In the current world of baseball, Evans’s 1981 season would be viewed much differently. In 1981, Evans led the American League in several categories that we view as key statistics today, such as OPS, WRC+, and Wins Above Replacement, while leading the league in home runs. If these statistics were official in 1981, perhaps Evans would have received the MVP award that appealed to BWAA members during the voting process instead of a relief pitcher, even if it was the great Rollie Fingers.
https://twitter.com/sullybaseball/status/1298358321481580544?s=46&t=nL7nlChJ4bpmXtn7YiLeHQ
OPS, not an official stat prior to 1984, was not considered during the MVP voting process. WRC+ and Wins Above Replacement did not exist during the 1981 season or during Evans’s time on the Hall of Fame ballot.
If Evans were on the ballot today, the BWAA would likely vote him into the Hall of Fame. But in 1997-1999, when Evans was on the ballot, he peaked at 10.4% of the vote and only received 3.4% in 1999. The stacked Hall of Fame that included Brett, Ryan Yount, and Fisk, as well as the late 90s being the height of the steroid era, made the accomplishments of Dwight Evans forgotten. The advanced stats that made his case clear were not yet fully understood.
Dwight Evans lead the American League in walks three times in 1981, 1985 and 1987.
Red Sox Should Take Matters into their own hands
Now that it is clear that Dwight Evans deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, it is clear that the Boston Red Sox should take matters into their own hands. They cannot control Evans’s fate with the Hall of Fame.
However, the organization clearly believes he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. A number retirement would help raise his profile.
In a glaring mistake such as this, organizations are encouraged to step up and promote a player’s Hall of Fame candidacy, as National Baseball Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch stated in a podcast interview I had with him in 2022.
2 years later; I still cannot believe I had this opportunity. One of my favorite discussions I have ever had.
The Red Sox organization can give Evans the recognition he deserves by retiring his number, an honor he more than deserves. Honoring Dwight Evans by retiring his number will also elevate his accomplishments and perhaps generate a conversation about his omission from the Hall of Fame and the importance of reversing the BBWAA’s mistake.
High-profile players such as Manny Ramirez and David Price wore the number 24 after Dwight Evans, but nobody has worn it since Price changed from 24 to 10 in 2019. That was a classy move from Price.
His accomplishments speak for themselves; he is worthy of the Baseball Hall of Fame. With the system unfair and imperfect in this case, the Red Sox need to take matters into their own hands. Hopefully, John Henry, Tom Werner, and Sam Kennedy will give Dwight Evans the proper recognition his player career deserves and retire his number 24. It is long overdue.
 
 
Boston Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez revealed on social media that several of his family members were inside the nightclub that collapsed in the Dominican Republic early Tuesday.

“I still have family members that are still in the rubbles, and we don’t know what happened to them,” Martinez said in a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday night.

At least 124 people were killed, with hundreds more injured from the collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo that occurred around 1 a.m. Tuesday, per ESPN.

World Series champion Octavio Dotel and former MLB first baseman Tony Blanco were among the dead, as was Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the Monte Cristi province in the country and sister of seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz.

“It is with a heavy heart that it is my turn to actually send condolences to all our family members and the people here in the United States who have family over there,” Martinez said. “We’re all sad. We’re all affected by the tragedy. … Our hearts are with you. We all are affected.”




Rescue crews continued to search for survivors more than 24 hours after the collapse. Officials said Wednesday that they have rescued 145 people from the wreckage of the nightclub. An in-depth investigation into the collapse is expected as officials try to determine what caused the collapse and when the Jet Set building was last inspected.


The Red Sox released a message of support to the Dominican Republic on social media.
 
Sox and Blue Jays tied 1-1 top of the 8th. Nice pitching by Houck tonight!! Went 6 2/3 5 hits 1 run. I'll take that anytime!!!
 
LordSensei1958 said:
Going into the 11th still tied 1-1
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If strikeouts were money, the Red Sox would be the world's wealthiest company right now. They're striking out so often that they might as well just close their eyes and swing at random.
 
LordSensei1958 said:
Sox tied 0-0 after 4 innings. The hitting drought continues....
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Swinging from your ass is a lower percentage hit or miss style of play. Who could possibly have known that?*














*Other than every single person who's ever played or watched baseball
 
 
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