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

Juan Pedro “J.P.” Villaman, 46, 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 listeners as “Papa Oso,” or “Papa Bear,” Villaman also was popular with many Hispanic players, 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.”

A moment of silence for Villaman was held at Fenway Park before Monday night’s Red Sox game against Baltimore.