Former MLB pitcher and 2011 World Series champion, Octavio Dotel was one of the estimated 98 people who were killed in a nightclub collapse in the Dominican Republic on April 8th, 2025. The incident occurred during a merengue concert at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo. Dotel, 51, is survived by his wife, Massiel Dotel and three children. While much is known about the player’s professional life, not many are aware of his personal life. Here’s all you need to know about Octavio Dotel’s family life.
Dotel’s journey into Major League Baseball
Image credits: Getty Images
Born on November 25th, 1973 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Dotel graduated from Liceo Cansino Afuera and was signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1993. Throughout his career he played for 15 seasons and 13 major league teams, the second-most for any player in history. For most of his professional career, he worked as a relief pitcher, including some stints as a closer.
He made history in 2011 by winning the World Series while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals and in 2013 by winning the World Baseball Classic, ultimately becoming one of the few players in history to achieve both titles.
Dotel’s final season in the league was in 2013 with the Detroit Tigers.
Dotel’s family and children
Image credits: Instagram/massieljavierdotel
Octavio Dotel was born to Emilio and Maria Magdalena Dotel. The family of seven included the couple and their three sons and two daughters. In November 1993, not long after Dotel signed his first contract, his father, 53, was robbed and killed in a taxi while on his way home. His body was found a day later, about 5 miles away from his house in Santo Domingo.
Octavio has been married to Massiel Dotel who is the owner and head of a school and other educational institutions in the family’s hometown of Santo Domingo. Massiel recently also took to social media to announce the memorial service of her late husband in an Instagram post. The couple shares three children together.
