Official: Oscar Taveras' BAC was five times legal limit at time of crash

Dominican officials said St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder Oscar Taveras' blood alcohol content level was five times the legal limit at the time of his fatal crash.

Dominican officials said Wednesday that late St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras' blood alcohol level was five times the legal limit at the time of his fatal crash, according to the Associated Press.

Taveras and his girlfriend Edilia Arvelo were killed in a car accident on Oct. 26 while driving in the Dominican Republic, the pair's home country. Taveras was driving when his sports car collided with a tree, according to a police report.

A spokeswoman for the Dominican Republic's attorney general’s office told the AP that Taveras' blood alcohol content was revealed through toxicology reports. The high alcohol level means Taveras was legally intoxicated when the crash occurred.

Taveras made his major league debut for the Cardinals on May 31 this season and played in 80 games, hitting .239 with three home runs. The outfielder was Baseball America's No. 3 MLB prospect entering the 2014 season.

On Oct. 12, Taveras hit a game-tying home run in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants. The Cardinals won the game 5-4 but lost the series in five games.

- Molly Geary