Pedro Martinez says he has family members unaccounted for in Dominican nightclub roof collapse
Dominican-born Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez said Wednesday he has family members unaccounted for who were inside the Santo Domingo nightclub when its roof collapsed.
The 53-year-old Martinez was born in Manoguayabo, about 10 miles west of the Dominican Republic's capital city. At least 124 people were killed and hundreds more injured when the roof collapsed early Tuesday.
'We are all affected,' he said. 'I still have family members who are still in the rubbles and we don't know what happened to them. But we just want to be strong, like we have always been. We're a country that prays a lot and remains united all the time, so I just hope everybody has the same courage.'
Authorities confirmed former major league pitcher Octavio Dotel and former major league utility player Tony Blanco were among the dead. Also killed was Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the Monte Cristi province in the country and sister of seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz.
The Jet Set club was packed with musicians, professional athletes and government officials when dust began falling from the ceiling and into people's drinks early Tuesday. Minutes later, the entire roof collapsed. Concrete slabs killed some instantly and trapped dozens of others on a dancefloor where hundreds had been dancing to a lively merengue concert.
'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."
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Jacob deGrom in vintage form as Rangers face White Sox
June 14 - The Texas Rangers will send the closest example of a sure thing to the mound when they battle the improving Chicago White Sox on Saturday afternoon in the middle contest of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas. Rangers ace right-hander Jacob deGrom (6-2, 2.12 ERA) will get the start. The White Sox are expected to counter with a bullpen game as they deal with a shortened rotation with Jonathan Cannon sidelined with a lower back strain. Texas won the series opener 3-1 on Friday as Josh Smith homered and scored all three of the Rangers' runs to back the work of seven pitchers. Texas has won five of its past six while the White Sox have dropped three straight. deGrom has won both his starts in June while allowing one run on six hits over 13 innings. He threw seven scoreless innings at Washington on June 7, allowing only two hits and no walks while striking out eight on 81 pitches as Texas prevailed 5-0. "(Against the Nationals) I felt a little bit smoother than I have all year," deGrom said. "It was more consistent. It's a feel thing. It's hard to explain. But I just felt more comfortable." deGrom has surrendered two runs or fewer in 10 consecutive starts, posting a 1.61 ERA over that span. "It's hard to quantify how much (deGrom) means to the club," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's just so consistent, and he sends such a sense of confidence when he's on the mound. He does mean a lot to this team." deGrom has two no-decisions and a 1.29 ERA in his pair of career starts against the White Sox, allowing two runs on 10 hits over 14 innings with four walks and 21 strikeouts. The Saturday appearance will be his first against the South Siders since he was with the New York Mets in 2019. The White Sox are playing better lately, going 5-5 over their past 10 games as their attitude turns away from just competing well to winning games and series. On Friday, Chicago had the potential winning run on base in the ninth inning but couldn't get the hit needed to tie the game or produce a victory. "You're starting to feel a change from, 'Way to go, we competed,' to, 'We're upset that we didn't win the game,'" Chicago manager Will Venable said. "That's the reflection of the growth of this club, and I think that's what you earn by playing good baseball." The last time Chicago employed a bullpen game, right-hander Mike Vasil (3-2, 2.18 ERA) started, and he will get the call again on Saturday. Against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, Vasil went 3 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out one in a game the White Sox lost 7-5. The White Sox bolstered their starting staff by acquiring right-hander Aaron Civale from Milwaukee via a trade on Friday, sending first baseman Andrew Vaughn and cash to the Brewers. Civale is 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA in five starts this season. Venable said before the Friday game that Civale would start on Sunday afternoon. --Field Level Media
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Christian Moore, Angels seek bounce-back effort vs. Orioles
June 14 - While the Los Angeles Angels have a new piece for their lineup, the Baltimore Orioles are trying to build momentum any way they can. The teams meet Saturday in Baltimore in the second game of a three-game series. The Orioles won 2-0 on Friday night, waiting through two weather delays to do so. Now, they'll try to clinch a series victory for the sixth time in 23 series this season. Before Friday night, the Angels had won three in a row and five of six games, so they've mostly been in a good groove recently. Yet Los Angeles has been blanked six times this season. The last inning included two strikeouts for Angels batters against Orioles closer Felix Bautista. He reached 99 mph on his fastball three times while logging his 12th save. "There's probably another gear in there," Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. The Angels will be anxious to see more of 2024 first-round draft pick Christian Moore. The 22-year-old second baseman made his debut in the major leagues Friday night, going 0-for-3 at the plate. "I'm here now, and I'm blessed for it," Moore said. Last June, Moore was helping Tennessee win a national championship in the Men's College World Series. He was penciled into the No. 9 spot in the batting order for his first game with the Angels. Los Angeles manager Ron Washington is interested in seeing a larger sample size of what Moore can do now that the debut is out of the way. "We'll find out tomorrow. We'll find out the next day," Washington said. "So we've just got to let it play out. I'm happy for him." Moore said he has gained confidence in recent weeks. After a promotion from Double-A Rocket City, he hit .350 with four homers and 18 RBIs in 20 games for Triple-A Salt Lake. "I just knew I had to keep doing what I was doing and good things can happen," he said. Baltimore right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (5-4, 3.23 ERA) will start on Saturday, aiming to defeat the Angels for the second time this season. The rookie from Japan was the winning pitcher with a season-long 7 1/3-inning stint on May 9 when Baltimore prevailed 4-1 in Anaheim, Calif. Sugano allowed three hits and no walks while fanning five. The Angels have left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-3, 3.99) pegged as their Saturday starting pitcher. He took a loss on May 11 at home against Baltimore, though only one of the three runs he surrendered in five innings was charged as earned. Anderson permitted four hits, walked two and struck out five. For the most part, the Orioles have had troubles against left-handed pitching this year. "The players, everyone's working on it hard," Mansolino said. "There's probably some solutions down the pipeline, too. ... We've got to be better." More recently, Anderson hasn't completed five innings in either of his June starts. He hasn't picked up a victory since April 18 against the San Francisco Giants, a span of nine winless starts. In his career, Anderson is 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA in three starts against Baltimore. The Orioles could have Colton Cowser back for the weekend, though he missed the Friday game with general soreness after running into the outfield wall on Thursday. Mansolino said Cowser might have been available for duty off the bench on Friday, but no in-game moves were made. --Field Level Media
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
On long night in D.C., Marlins hand Nats 6th straight loss
June 14 - Rookie Agustin Ramirez had three hits, including two solo home runs, and the Miami Marlins held on to beat the host Washington Nationals 11-9 on Friday in a game delayed more than two hours by rain in the fourth inning. For Miami, Dane Myers had three hits and two RBIs and Eric Wagaman had two hits and drove in three. James Wood had three hits, including a two-run home run, scored three runs and drove in four for Washington, which has lost six straight. CJ Abrams (three runs) and Keibert Ruiz each had three hits. The teams combined for 33 hits. Miami starter Edward Cabrera pitched three innings and left after colliding with Wagaman and Abrams on a play at first in the bottom of the third. Cabrera allowed two runs on two hits and struck out five. Tyler Phillips (1-0) pitched two-thirds of an inning for the win and Calvin Faucher tossed a scoreless ninth for his sixth save. Washington starter Mitchell Parker (4-7) allowed six runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three. The Marlins took a 1-0 lead two batters into the game on Ramirez's first homer of the night. In the second, Miami loaded the bases with one out, but settled for one run on Nick Fortes' sacrifice fly. Ramirez led off a four-run third with another homer to left, his 10th of the season, and Miami's lead was 3-0. Otto Lopez singled and scored on Wagaman's double. After Connor Norby walked, Myers doubled home Wagaman and Norby to make it 6-0. In the bottom half, Abrams reached on an infield single after first baseman Wagaman collided with Cabrera at the bag. Abrams also made contact with Cabrera on the play. Wood followed with his 17th home run and the Nationals were within 6-2. Cabrera finished the inning but did not come out for the fourth. Back-to-back RBI singles in the fifth by Fortes and Xavier Edwards (three hits) made it 8-2. Robert Hassell III and Abrams singled leading off the seventh and Wood doubled them home. Nathaniel Lowe singled home Wood, then Luis Garcia Jr. reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Alex Call's single. Ruiz's single scored Josh Bell to bring Washington within a run at 8-7. Miami answered in the eighth, getting a two-run single from Wagaman to make it 10-7 and added a run on a fielder's choice. In the Washington eighth, Abrams scored on Lowe's groundout and Wood crossed the plate to make it 11-9 when Bell hit into a fielder's choice. --Field Level Media
