Tony Blanco, a gregarious slugger who hit 181 home runs and won a batting title during his eight seasons in Japan, was buried on Thursday in the Dominican Republic following a memorial service as the nation continues to mourn the over 200 people who died when the roof of a popular nightclub collapsed early on Tuesday.
Family, friends and fans gathered to say their final goodbyes to the 44-year-old during the service, which took place in a city near the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo. At least one person carried a photo of Blanco from his time with the Yokohama BayStars.
“Tony was such a great guy and ballplayer,” Craig Brazell, whose career in Japan overlapped with Blanco’s, told The Japan Times. “He always had a great sense of humor on and off the field.”
