BASEBALL-TAVERAS/FUNERAL Family and fans mourn St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras in Dominican hometown

Record ID: 708232

  • Title: BASEBALL-TAVERAS/FUNERAL Family and fans mourn St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras in Dominican hometown
  • Date: 28th October 2014
  • Summary: SOSUA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (OCTOBER 28, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WRECKED CAR THAT WAS CARRYING OSCAR TAVERAS AND HIS GIRLFRIEND WHEN THEY DIED TAVERAS' CASKET MOURNERS CRYING AND HUGGING AT WAKE TAVERAS' CASKET (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FRANCISCO TAVERAS, FATHER OF OSCAR TAVERAS, SAYING: "I advise young people to put on their seat belts and to learn from the example of what happened to my son so quickly in his career. I feel very bad and I don't have many words to say but I do advise young people to take care of themselves, to keep moving forward and to prosper and not to get hurt in the wrong environment." BASEBALL OFFICIALS SITTING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN MOZELIAK, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS, SAYING: "So you think about a young player who loses their life and the impact it has on an organisation, on a team specifically, it's hard to put into words at this moment." BASEBALL OFFICIALS SITTING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN MOZELIAK, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS, SAYING: "You know I have spent probably upwards of 20 years coming to the Dominican Republic and you see how the traffic patterns are, you see how all the scooters and how people drive. It is something of a concern and I think when you look at the cars that these players are bringing over to the Dominican Republic in terms of are they fit for what the roads have here. But I do see this as an opportunity to educate our players, especially the ones who grew up here, who live here, because it is a tragedy and it's something that we hope that other young players will learn from and, in terms of what we can do, education is the only thing we have." BASEBALL OFFICIALS SITTING AT NEWS CONFERENCE FIELD MANAGER MIKE MATHENY LISTENING BASEBALL OFFICIALS SITTING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MIKE MATHENY, FIELD MANAGER FOR THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS, SAYING: "I promised our players, our coaches and all of the people back in Saint Louis that I would pass along our deepest regrets and we know that this is a huge loss, not just for Sosua, but for the Dominican Republic and the baseball family as well." VARIOUS OF BASEBALL OFFICIALS SITTING AT NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 12th November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Dominican Republic
  • Country: Dominican Republic
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAE11RL1BA451CYM0DFFHFADNFG
  • Story Text: St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras was mourned in his Dominican hometown of Sosua on Tuesday (October 28) after a horror car crash ended his professional career less than a year after his debut in Major League Baseball.
    The star baseball player was killed alongside his 18-year old girlfriend Edilia Arvelo on Sunday (October 26) after crashing in wet conditions.
    At the wake, Taveras' father Francisco urged drivers and their passengers to learn from his son's death and put on their seatbelts.
    "I advise young people to put on their seat belts and to learn from the example of what happened to my son so quickly in his career. I feel very bad and I don't have many words to say but I do advise young people to take care of themselves, to keep moving forward and to prosper and not to get hurt in the wrong environment," he said.
    St. Louis officials were in the Dominican Republic to pay their final respects.
    Despite his short professional career, the 22-year-old made an impact in his debut year. He played 80 games for the Cardinals in 2014, carrying a .239 batting average and hitting three home runs.
    "So you think about a young player who loses their life and the impact it has on an organisation, on a team specifically, it's hard to put into words at this moment," said St Louis Senior Vice President John Mozeliak.
    Taveras was driving a high-powered red Chevrolet Camero when he crashed. Mozeliak called on baseball players to show caution when behind the wheel.
    "You know I have spent probably upwards of 20 years coming to the Dominican Republic and you see how the traffic patterns are, you see how all the scooters and how people drive. It is something of a concern and I think when you look at the cars that these players are bringing over to the Dominican Republic in terms of are they fit for what the roads have here. But I do see this as an opportunity to educate our players, especially the ones who grew up here, who live here, because it is a tragedy and it's something that we hope that other young players will learn from and, in terms of what we can do, education is the only thing we have," he added.
    Just two weeks ago, Taveras blasted the game-tying homer as a pinch hitter in Game Two of the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants in a game the Cardinals eventually won, 5-4.
    Field Manager Mike Matheny said the death was a tragedy for baseball.
    "I promised our players, our coaches and all of the people back in Saint Louis that I would pass along our deepest regrets and we know that this is a huge loss, not just for Sosua, but for the Dominican Republic and the baseball family as well," he said.
    Dominican authorities are reportedly investigating the circumstances of the crash.
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