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An outpouring of emotion as baseball community learns of Oscar Taveras' passing

Outpouring of emotion follows death of Oscar Taveras

By Ben Cosman

Reports surfaced shortly after the start of Sunday's World Series Game 5 that Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras had died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic.

The Cardinals later confirmed the tragic news:

"We are all stunned and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of the youngest members of the Cardinals family," Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. "Oscar was an amazing talent with a bright future who was taken from us well before his time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends tonight."
"I simply can't believe it," said GM John Mozeliak. "I first met Oscar when he was 16 years old and will forever remember him as a wonderful young man who was a gifted athlete with an infectious love for life who lived every day to the fullest."

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig issued a statement Sunday night:

"All of us throughout Major League Baseball are in mourning this evening, shocked by the heartbreaking news of the accident involving Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend in the Dominican Republic. Oscar, a young member of the Baseball family, was full of promise and at the dawn of a wonderful career in our game, evident in his game-tying home run against the Giants exactly two weeks ago.
"With heavy hearts, tonight we play Game Five of the 2014 World Series in the memory of these two young people. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of these two individuals, as well as to Oscars' teammates and the entire Cardinals organization."

Taveras, who was 22, debuted for the Cardinals in 2014, playing in 80 regular season games and 12 in the postseason.

An outpouring of condolences from the baseball community immediately followed the news:

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