Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-MLB Player Tony Blanco Died in Tragedy But Not Before a Heroic Final Act

For Tony Blanco, instinct kicked in first.

Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

When the ceiling began to give way inside the crowded Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, panic set in. But for Tony Blanco, instinct kicked in first. The former MLB player reportedly spent his final moments saving a friend.

According to veteran Dominican baseball journalist Hector Gomez, Blanco noticed the falling debris just in time to shove his former teammate Esteban German out of harm’s way. German, 47, was returning from the restroom and approaching their table when Blanco pushed him aside. Moments later, the ceiling collapsed where they stood.

Former MLB player Esteban Germán told me that at the time of the collapse in Jet Set, he was returning from the bathroom and, before sitting down at the table, Tony Blanco pushed him when he realized part of the ceiling was about to fall on him.

Unfortunately, Blanco didn't… https://t.co/PLOQVJqifT
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) April 8, 2025

Blanco, 43, passed away while German survived.

Blanco’s final act was a quiet, instinctive display of courage in the middle of a tragedy that would claim more than 70 lives, including another former MLB player Octavio Dotel and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Monte Cristi and sister of MLB veteran Nelson Cruz. Over 160 others were injured in the collapse, which occurred during a live merengue concert around 12:44 a.m. on Tuesday. Footage posted online captured the moment of collapse, showing legendary performer Rubby Pérez mid-performance when the roof caved in over the stage and audience.

ALSO READ: Nightclub Tragedy Claims Lives of Ex-MLB Players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco

Blanco spent most of his baseball career outside the spotlight, playing 56 games with the Washington Nationals in 2005 before carving out a successful stint in Japan and the Dominican Winter League. German, a former second baseman who played for the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics, recounted the moment to Gomez, still in disbelief that he had been spared by his friend’s sacrifice.

Major League Baseball issued a statement mourning Blanco, Cruz, and the many others who lost their lives, while the MLB Players Association called the moment “an unspeakable tragedy” for the Dominican baseball community.

Esteban German

Tony Blanco

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.