The Cardinals offer condolences to the family of Oscar Taveras, the 22-year-old Cardinals outfielder who was killed in an automobile accident in the Dominican Republic. All fans are invited to use this guestbook blog to share their condolences and memories of Oscar as well.
“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. “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 John Mozeliak, Sr. VP & GM of the Cardinals. “I first met Oscar when he was sixteen 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.”
The team will provide additional information on funeral arrangements at a later time. Please share your condolences and memories in the comments below.
Remembering Oscar 
I remember the first game I went to after the cards had just called Oscar up. I was the most excited I’d been at a baseball game since 2011 when the cardinals walked off on the Cubs. I felt like a giddy little kid that night, to know that the new cardinals middle of the order kid had arrived. I was even more excited seeing him hit his first career home run in his first game. I wasn’t at the game but I was running throughout my house screaming like a little girl. Oscar is going to be forever a part of Cardinal nation. His smile made everybody happy. Hearing of his death brought me to tears, and I can’t imagine the pain the team and the family are going through right now. R.I.P. Oscar Taveras.
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I never new oscar on a personal level like most fans. However, i marveled like all fans at his tremendous talent and upbeat spirit. To hear of his untimely death is very painful. It isnt painful on the fact that we wont get to see his potential but that his chance at living life was taken from him so soon. It makes me ever more greatful for each and every second. Knowing so well it can all be over in the snap of a finger. Oscar may u take flight with the Angels and u and your girlfriend watch over us all.
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I’m so sorry for your loss….prayers to family and friends….God bless Oscar and the family
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Wish we all could see what you would have been Oscar! Sorry to all family members and everyone troubled! You will be greatly missed by CardinalNation! R.I.P OSCAR!
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A young talent taken to soon RIP Oscar you will not be forgotten by “Cardinal Nation”
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My deepest sympathies to Oscar’s family and his Cardinal family. Oscar, I still remember his 1st homer – what a great way to show the world you’re here. You will be missed by many. Please know you are loved always!
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RIP Oscar. Your arrival was very much anticipated and you delivered when it mattered. I regret that we won’t get to see you blossom into one of the great baseball players, but you ended your career on the biggest stage. Thank you for what you have done. We will miss you. #OT18
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God Bless you and your families in this most sad time xo May the Lord surround you with Love and Peace. xo
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Not knowing much about Oscar besides him having a great talent, reading everything about him he was a great guy. Sorry for the loss to his family and friends. He will be in our hearts at Cardinal Nation forever.
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There was always something magical about that first home run. Oscar swinging from his toes and belting a no doubter for his first career… well.. everything ( hit, rbi, run, home run). The rain coming down, the curtain call, and even the 30 minute rain delay that quickly followed. It was a perfect moment for everyone in St. Louis, and for every Cardinals fan, who had been waiting, dreaming, anticipating the arrival of Oscar Taveras to let it all sink in…HE’s HERE!! Did that seriously just happen? Could it have been scripted any better?
Seems like yesterday I was rushing frantically to work, getting pissed off over every red light and slow driver because I didn’t want to miss OT’s first at bat. Sure enough I almost missed it, the moment I had been waiting years for.. I had just pulled into the parking space so I got my phone out and put on At Bat to watch his first at bat in my car. A ground out, probably to 2nd base. As I came to the door greeted by my dad, both of us had huge smiles on our face. Joking with my dad one of us said “Even his outs are beautiful”. The greatest swing in baseball with out a doubt was Oscar Taveras. It was his 2nd at bat that the beauty really happened. That magical moment I was able to watch with my dad, and watch over and over again with my brother. I have seen hundreds of home runs and this will always be my favorite. – Xavier Scruggs posted this…” I watched him homer for his first hit and I remember thinking ‘He never disappoints’. It didn’t surprise me because a moment too big for most was just an opportunity for Oscar to show the world his talent.” And I believe it. His home runs had this type of pattern to them. 1st home run was his debut game. 2nd home run was the first game played after the Cardinals traded away the RBI Machine known as Allen Craig, I still remember reading Jenifer Langosch for Cardinals.com article thinking Wow, they are committing to Taveras for the long run -AWESOME. And no cardinals fan will ever forget the pinch hit home run in game 2 of the NLCS, in the magical 7th inning, Oscar Taveras made a magical moment. Leave it to Taveras to start and end his career with magical moments.
RIP OT
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Prayers for the whole family. I saw him in spring training 2013 and was immediately impressed. I’m saddened by the loss of such a great player, but even moreso the loss of a human life. May God place His hand on the whole family
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My prayers go out to Oscar, his family, his girlfriends family and the entire Cardinal nation. We are all in deep pain from this loss. You had the best fans in baseball Oscar and now I know you are watching down with Stan up there. We will always honor and remember you because that’s what Cardinal nation does. We will win it for you and Stan next year. Once a cardinal fan, always a cardinal fan. You will be missed Oscar. #cardinalnation
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Thank you, thank you, thank you, Oscar, for the great memories you have given your fans. You will be missed by many. My sincere condolences for your family and friends. Heaven has another baseball angel!
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The day he was called up, I was extremely hyped. As a guy who loves seeing top prospects get the call, this was one of the call-ups I looked forward to the most during the 2014 season. Hearing the news of Oscar and his girlfriend’s passing was a sad, sad moment. RIP.
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I am not only a Cardinals fan but also i am a fan of the team he used to play here in Dominican Republic, so i had the chance to wathc him play more than some people commenting here, and all i have to say is that above all of his talent what i will remember the most is the way he played the game. althought he was kind of shy as most of his teammates have said, he played the game as a kid, always with a smile in his face, probably because he enjoyed the game more than some others. although he didnt play for a long time neither in MLB or Dominican winter league, his short stay will always be remembere for how he played and how he enjoyed his teammates, proof of that is that afer the game was announced here in the country,, his dominican team was playing against their rivals, all of the players stopped nearby homeplate and prayed for his soul. Another example is what Juan Carlos Perez did when he heard the news while being on the bench at San Francisco,later he hit a crucial triple for the Giants and dedicated the hit to his former teammate and long-time friend. After i heard the news, firs thing that crossed my mind was ¨Probably if he had hit safe in his last at bat against the giants, probably Cardinals would have gone to the World Series and maybe that would have saved his life¨But that will never know, all i know is that Baseball has lost one of his best prospects and teammates have lost a beloved friends Rest In Peace ¨Minor League Guy¨
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It’s crazy to think this is true I followed him as most cards fans did in the minors and then in the majors its like a family member has died to me. I didn’t know him at all I saw him play once in Cincinnati but my heart is heavy and my eyes are filled with tears. I send my prayers to his family and friends. Only God knows how great he could have been. WOW just WOW
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Still just sick to my stomach thinking about this loss – why is it we as fans feel like we knew him personally? He just seemed like this big puppy dog of guy that was always ready to have fun playing the game he loved – eager for the approval of the veterans. We were at Game 2 of the NLCS and I was more happy just for him that he hit the home run than I was that he just tied up the game. We become so invested in the team, that we feel like we know them all. But I guess that’s what’s great about being apart of this team – even if it’s just as a faithful fan. As a lifelong Cards fan, I was always screaming at the t.v. when Oscar wasn’t starting a game, or getting to pinch hit. I’m really going to miss what might have been. Rest in peace Oscar. My family and I will miss you.
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I am a Cardinal fan of 60 years. I feel such shock and sorrow over what has happened. After retiring, I lived in Sosua, Dominican Republic for 9 years and I know how proud the people in that area are of Oscar. Though I had never met him, I felt a strong attachment to him because I lived in his home town and knew so many Dominicans there. Believe me, they do love their baseball in the DR. I so wanted Oscar to achieve greatness and I knew he would. I can only imagine what his family and close friends are going through. I send my sincere condolences for a bright light snuffed out. I feel so sad about this.
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Thank you, Taveras family, for allowing us to know your beloved Oscar. He was a great Cardinal, even if for only a short time. Heartfelt sympathy to each of you. We will miss Oscar, but now he rests with God.
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My thoughts are with Oscar’s family and his country!
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You will be missed once a Cardinal always a Cardinal you will be in our hearts. To family so sorry for your loss…RIP
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We Miss You OT. FOREVER A CARDINAL, #OT18
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I keep getting smacked in the face with the realization that you’re gone, Oscar. I feel like I have to keep re-learning a nightmare. Nobody can imagine a future more beautiful than the one reality should have given you, but we all seem to be trying. I guess it’s a coping mechanism. You were a wonderful human being, a child really, who we are all lucky to have witnessed if not known.
We use sports, our fan-hood, our teams, to anchor us throughout the turmoil of real life. When life’s harsh realities spill over into our safe zone, the result can almost be unbearable. We’re all spinning. We’re all hurting. But it’s not about us.
You were special, and even though we will never get to know your future, we are fortunate to be alive, remembering your legacy. Your life mattered, Oscar, and you will be missed forever. Rest in peace.
Go Cardinals.
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My sympathy to his family, friends & teammates. I am glad that he got to the big leagues especially the best team, the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a joy to watch him play especially in the post season.
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I have been a Giants fan for as long as I can remember, & yet I was so excited when I saw a young, fresh talent as was Oscar. He had a certain confidence when he stepped up to the plate which was far beyond his years of 22! Baseball will miss him as they did Lyman Bostock who died much too soon in his career. Our thoughts go out to his family & friends. RIP Oscar & friend
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Deeply saddened by this untimely tragedy. RIP OT.
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I am still in shock over what happened on Sunday. Oscar Taveras was taken from this earth far too soon. I’m glad he was able to achieve his dream of being a Major League Baseball Player. He provided the Cardinals fans with some great memories in the all-to-brief time he was here. Oscar may be gone but his memory will always be in the hearts and the minds of Cardinal Nation. My deepest sympathies to both families affected by this tragedy.
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I am sorry for your loss.
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Oscar you will forever be a Cardinal!!! God bless you and your family!!! RIP OT #18
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Our hearts are hurting today because we lost a Cardinal family member and a wonderful young man. Oscar you were taken much too soon. I pray for peace and comfort for your family and for the family of your dear girlfriend. May the two of you rest in peace.
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Rest In Peace
In our hearts…….A Cardinal forever!
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Thank you for sharing your gifted Oscar with Cardinal nation. So so sorry for your loss.
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My family are huge Cardinals fans. My 8 yr. old daughter was brought to tears and unable to sleep in wake of this news. She talks about the Home run Oscar hit in Milwaukee (a game we attended) to help the team take control of the division as well as the NLCS pinch hit HR. My heart aches for Oscar, his girlfriend and both families. Tough to understand sometimes. May God be with everyone dealing with such a tragic loss of two young lives.
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Thank you for allowing me to voice what’s in my heart. I am an SF Giants fan, but more importantly I love the game of baseball and especially fond of prospects that everyone seems to be excited about every year. Oscar was one of those prospects that everyone talked about, that no matter what team you followed you just wanted to follow the career of this mega-talent the Cardinals were about to bring up. Well, Oscar’s 1st hit was a home run against the Giants and his last hit was a home run against the Giants. He was a joy to watch for what little time he had. I’m sad as a fan of the game that we will not get a chance to feast our eyes on a potential great. My deepest condolences to his family. I could only imagine their pain who lost a son, a brother. Here we are as fans losing a potential all time great but they lost a beloved member of their family. God bless the Taveras family. I have this inexplicable sorrow that I lost a family member too and I just wish the Cardinals fans the best. You guys are a class act team and fanbase and I will never forget Oscar for as long as I love this game.
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When you go to Wikipedia and find out Oscar Tavares ‘was an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals’ it seems quite permanent…his untimely death yesterday. Stan Musial, arguably the greatest Cardinal ever, passed a couple years ago but had quite the career and life following baseball. We got to see it all, if only from a historical perspective in my case. The Irony of the Oscar Taveras makeshift memorial below the permanence of the iconic Stan Musial Statue at Busch Stadium stings a bit. Life is fragile and we’ll never know what Oscar would have accomplished in the future. We do know what he did accomplish – He was drafted at 16 by the Cardinals. After setting many minor league records he finally made the jump to the Majors with the Cardinals in 2014. He hit a game winning home run in his debut and a game tying home run before Colton Wong’s walkoff homer in Game 2 of the NLCS just last week. The Cardinals did not make the World Series as we expect them to do every year, imagine that – we expect it here because we have become accustomed to the high probability that they will accomplish it annually. We are so spoiled. With Oscar, you felt it was more icing on the cake…. tragically he’s gone. I can’t help but feel a bit selfish because I sure wanted to see that kid play ball. Does it matter how many home runs he never hit…….no. When that young man stepped up to the plate and launched one over the right field fence as the rain came down and won the game, his dream had come true…he took us all to baseball heaven with that beautiful smile as he came out for his curtain call. We saw that and it was truly amazing!
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I have always been a cardinals fan. I loved it when I attended my first game it was the bet day of my life. I cannot believe that Oscar has passed I am truly sorry for your loss. I believe God has taken charge of this situation and He will help through this difficult time. I will continue to always be a Cardinals fan forever and for always. I will pray for your family and your baseball family too. Have faith and believe in God! Love always Oscar, we will never forget what you have done for this team!
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Sometimes when we look at where we are GOD shows us all things that we may not understand at first. Anyone who ever saw him play knew that Oscar was special. In life the humans that are most special are the ones who others can see have it. We in the STL all could see that when he would play the game. If you need an example of this > the home run he just hit in the NLCS. When you as fans saw that guy you knew he was special.
WELL > that special type of man that we all saw, GOD must have also took a look at him too. You could tell that guy was blessed with talent and a love of the game.
It is safe to say that we saw the best Oscar that GOD would allow us to see, no matter how brief the look was.
We didn’t get to see how good he truly would have been. I as a baseball fan feel that the world lost one the great never will bes in the history of the game >
AS WELL LIFE LOSING A GREAT MAN!
JAMES
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I had the pleasure of meeting Oscar a few times when he was on my Miami flight on his way home to the Dominican. He always reminded me of a kid having the time of his life. He was pleasant and polite. Such a nice man. When he and Carlos were going home over the all-star break, Carlos said he was his brother. When I last saw him about a week and a half ago, he was happy to be going home, but so happy at the thought of coming back to St Louis in the spring. May God keep him in his care
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My heart goes out to his family, friends, and the team! So tragic that a young, very talented life was cut way to short!:(
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My thoughts and prayers are with Oscar’s loved ones and teammates, also his girlfriend’s family. He was a great talent and far too young. Rest in Peace, we will all miss you.
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you will be missed by all rip oscar
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I am still even a couple of days later sad and shocked about Oscar and his Girlfriend. I really know that teammates felt Energy form him, Cardinal Nation did. We were all excited to watch him in the many years to come!! I feel so sorry for his family and that of his girlfriend. And will continue to pray for them as well as Cardinal Nation as we try to understand this awful turn of events. Cardinal fans are as special as the players when one hurts they all hurt. Pull together guys, we’ll be here for you now and always, continued love and support for you all…….Praying……. 😦
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Such a sad loss for Cardinal Nation, I pass along my prayers and thoughts to all of OT’s family on and off the field. My son looked up to you and we were there to see your first at bat, it showed my son that dreams do come true and for that I am thankful that he will carry that memory with him his whole life. To say this is a tragedy is an understatement, you will be missed OT, Rest in Peace!
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I have been a cardinal fan for 50 years and when something like this happens to the card family it hurts just as much. I just lost my daughter n law to cancer in Sept. She was just 35. So I know what oscars family is going thru. What could have been we will never know of Oscar but in my mind you would have been one of the best cardinals to wear the uniform. Prayers to his family and his girlfriends too. RIP
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My God take both your hands and lead you into the biggest playing field of all. You my have not showed all of us Cards fans your unbelievable talent. But the Lord knows Oscar your talent. He wants it very close to him right now. You will soley be missed. RIP!
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I have been a Cardinal fan for 65 yrs. I have been through many tragedies with the Cardinals. This one brings tears to my eyes and makes me feel like i have lost a family member. A very talented young man who was destined for stardom. It should make us all realize how fragile life is and should enjoy every day to it’s fullest and tell our’ loved ones we love them every chance we get. Rest in Peace Oscar we will all miss you.
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When I heard the news, it felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. So sad. We will always wonder what might have been, but we did get to see some exciting home runs before you were gone. You gave us many memories, even if your career was cut short. May God grant peace to your family and the family of your girlfriend.
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I know there is a reason for everything, God must have seen it in this couple, OSCAR TAVARES was an amazing player, from what I saw he was a great friend to have his teammates loved him. OSCAR MAY YOU AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND R. I. P. You will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.
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We love you Oscar. It’s amazing what can happen these days. I’ve been thru a 13hr brain surgery and back surgery in the last yr but I’m still here, and you wreck your car and die. Sometimes we understand these things and most of the time we don’t. I personally think you are in heaven. You brought great excitement to the team this year. That pinch hit hr was the best hit in that moment we could have asked for. We will all mourn your loss. I know you didn’t know me personally but I wish we had gotten the chance to meet. When it comes down to it, it’s not about what you do on the field, but it’s how you display yourself off of it. I’m 23 and I struggled with the same things you did. Once again, I didn’t know you personally. I was the one screaming at the tv when they didn’t have you in the game. “Put OT in!!!” (No offense grichuk) But all of that has come and gone. #gocards
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We have be in shock since Sunday night with such a huge loss. Being born and raised in the DR, but long time residents of STL, and Cardinals fans forever, it’s very difficult to understand the ‘why’. The only thought that came to our minds is that the good Lord have a special place for you in Heaven so you will be cheering side to side with other Baseball Gods for our beloved Team the cards.
Nuestras Condolencias sinceras a Familiares y Amigos. Que Dios les de fuerza y resignacion para aceptar su decision.. Amen.
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