{"id":1292284,"date":"2018-12-07T15:14:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-07T13:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nhub.news\/?p=1292284"},"modified":"2018-12-08T07:02:06","modified_gmt":"2018-12-08T05:02:06","slug":"reports-former-mlb-players-luis-valbuena-and-jose-castillo-killed-in-car-crash-in-venezuela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nhub.news\/fr\/2018\/12\/reports-former-mlb-players-luis-valbuena-and-jose-castillo-killed-in-car-crash-in-venezuela\/","title":{"rendered":"Reports: Former MLB players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo killed in car crash in Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo were playing winter ball in Venezuela and were teammates on the Cardenales de Lara, according to reports.<\/b>
\nFormer Los Angeles Angels infielder Luis Valbuena and former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jose Castillo died in a car crash Thursday in Venezuela, according to multiple reports.
Venezuelan news outlets El Emergente and Meridiano reported on the accident. The Houston Chronicle\u2019s Chandler Rome, who covers Valbuena\u2019s former team the Astros, confirmed the reports in the U. S.
Valbuena, 33, and Castillo, 37, were playing winter ball in Venezuela and were teammates on the Cardenales de Lara, according to The Athletic\u2019s Fabian Ardaya. Jeff Fletcher from the Orange County Register also verified the report and said their car hit a rock and went off the road. They were traveling after a game. Carlos Rivero, who played for the Arizona Diamondbacks briefly in 2014, was driving the car, according to The Register, but survived the accident.
Related: Notable MLB free agents: 2018-19
Valbuena started his MLB career in 2008 with the Seattle Mariners. During his 11-year career, he also played for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. Valbuena\u2019s best season came in 2016, when he hit.260\/.357\/.459, with 13 home runs, in 342 plate appearances. Valbuena spent 2018 with the Angels. He played his final game with the team in August and was a free agent.
Castillo spent five seasons in the majors. He played four years with the Pirates and split his final season between the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Astros. Castillo\u2019s final season in the majors came in 2008. He left the game with a.254\/.296\/.370 slash line. Most recently, he\u2019d been playing professional baseball in Japan.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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