BOSTON (AP) – A play-by-play announcer for a Spanish-language radio station that broadcasts Boston Red Sox games died in a car crash early Monday, only hours after broadcasting the team’s win over the Yankees in New York.

Juan Pedro “J.P.” Villaman, 46, of Lawrence, was driving north on Interstate 93 in Wilmington around 3:40 a.m. when he switched lanes and his Ford Explorer hit a box truck, state police said. Villaman’s vehicle plummeted down an embankment, rolled over and struck a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Villaman was an announcer for the “Spanish Beisbol Network” broadcasts of Red Sox games on WROL-AM and on stations in Providence, R.I., and Hartford, Conn. His calls also could be heard on cable television in Spanish voice-overs of games broadcast by the New England Sports Network.

Affectionately known to his listeners as “Papa Oso,” or “Papa Bear,” Villaman also was popular with many of the Hispanic players on the Red Sox team, said Bill Kulik, president of the Spanish Beisbol Network.

“He had this (Latino) community wrapped around his finger,” Kulik said. “He was just a lovable old Papa Bear.”

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz said Villaman was one of the first people he met when he joined the team in 2003.

“Every time I see him, it was the same personality,” Ortiz said. “He was just happy to be alive and happy to be doing what he was doing.”

Villaman, whose partner in the broadcast booth was Uri Berenguer, has been announcing Red Sox games since 1995. He was one of the first Spanish-language announcers in major league baseball, and his audience grew when the Red Sox signed Pedro Martinez in 1998.

“J.P. and the Spanish Beisbol Network were trailblazers in the Boston area,” Kulik said. “We have absolutely become a staple of the community, and J.P. was the papa of our group.”

One of his signatures was yelling “Sientate!” or “Sit Down!” when an opposing batter struck out.

Red Sox spokesman Glenn Geffner said Villaman flew back to Boston this morning with the team after Sunday night’s game against the Yankees in New York. He apparently was driving home from Logan Airport at the time of the crash.

“One minute you see everybody laughing. The next minute reality hits awfully hard,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

Villaman appeared to be speeding when he lost control of his SUV, police said. The driver of the truck wasn’t injured. No charges have been filed.

Before he started calling Red Sox games, Villaman hosted a sports talk radio show for a radio station in Lawrence. He got his start broadcasting games in his native Dominican Republic.

Earlier this year, the Red Sox gave Villaman one of the diamond-encrusted World Series rings the team handed out to players and team employees to commemorate the historic championship. In an interview with the Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence, he said his 84-year-old mother cried when he told her about the gift.

Villaman is survived by his wife, Noemi, and three children, according to Kulik.