Former MLB players Jose Castillo, Luis Valbuena die in car crash

Two former major-league baseball players were killed in an automobile accident Thursday night after playing a winter league game in Venezuela, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Cardenales de Lara teammates Jose Castillo, 37, and Luis Valbuena, 33, were returning to Barquisimeto with another former major-leaguer, Carlos Rivero, after a game in Caracas when their car collided with a sliding rock, ESPN reported.

Rivero's chauffeur veered off the road while trying to avoid the rock, according to an article from BeisbolPlay.com. While Rivero and the driver survived the wreck, a police report said Castillo and Valbuena died after being ejected from the vehicle, the Times reported.

Castillo played in the majors from 2004 to 2008 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros. Valbuena played 11 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, the Astros and the Los Angeles Angels.

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