On a night that was supposed to be highlighted by Game 5 of the World Series, the baseball world was delivered some shockingly terrible news.
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras was killed in a car crash along with his girlfriend Sunday while driving to his hometown of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. Taveras’ agent, Brian Mejia, confirmed the news to reporters Sunday night.
According to Col. Diego Pesqueira of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, Taveras was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro between the beach towns of Sosua and Cabarete, about 215 miles north of Santo Domingo, the country’s capital. Taveras wasn’t carrying identification and was identified by family members.
The 22-year-old was a top prospect in the Cardinals’ system, compiling a .321 batting average over six seasons in the minor leagues after the team signed him as a free agent in 2008. He was called up to the team’s major league roster on May 30 and hit a home run one day later for his first MLB hit.
Taveras appeared in this year’s postseason, hitting a pinch-hit home run in Game 2 of the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants, a 5-4 Cardinals win.
Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak addressed the shocking news Sunday night in a statement, via Jesse Spector of the Sporting News.
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MLB commissioner Bud Selig also issued a statement.
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Photo via Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports Images
