Baseball

Ex-Dragons Slugger Blanco Dies in D.R. Roof Collapse

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Chunichi Dragons’ Tony Blanco hits a solo home run against the Nippon Ham Fighters in Nagoya in May 2009.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

19:06 JST, April 9, 2025

WASHINGTON — Former Chunichi Dragons slugger Tony Blanco was among dozens killed early Tuesday morning when the roof at a popular nightclub collapsed in his home country of the Dominican Republic, Major League Baseball said on its website, quoting local authorities.

At least 98 people were killed in the accident that occurred in the capital of Santo Domingo, authorities said.

Blanco, who was 44, briefly appeared in the major leagues before playing eight seasons in Japan, mainly with Chunichi, batting .272 with 181 home runs and 542 RBIs.

He joined the Dragons in 2009 and led the Central League that season in both home runs with 39 and RBIs with 110.

After four seasons, he moved to the Yokohama DeNA BayStars for a two-year stint, which included winning both the CL batting and RBI titles in 2013 after hitting .333 and driving in 136 runs.

He finished his Japan career with the Orix Buffaloes in 2015 and 2016.

In the major leagues, Blanco played for the Washington Nationals in 2005, appearing in 56 games in a utility role, with one home run and seven RBIs.