via MLB
“Dear PoPville,
Tony Blanco, a former Nationals player (he played 56 games for the Nats, including in the team’s very first game), tragically passed away in the Dominican Republic after a nightclub ceiling collapsed during a concert. Over 220 people lost their lives in the accident.”
From MLB:
“We are deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic death of former Major Leaguer Tony Blanco in Tuesday’s tragedy in the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santo Domingo.
Blanco played in 56 games for the inaugural Washington Nationals team in 2005, including the first game in team history.
He played 9 professional seasons in the U.S. and 8 more in Japan’s NPB.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, which includes Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League player Tony Blanco Jr.”