Pedro Gomez, ESPN reporter since 2003 and one of the nation’s top baseball journalists, died suddenly on Sunday. He was 58 years old.
Gomez, who was based in Phoenix, has covered baseball for SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, and other ESPN studios, and live and radio events. During his 35-year career, he has covered more than 25 world championships and over 20 all-star games.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn that our friend and colleague Pedro Gomez has passed away,” said Jimmy Pettaro, president of ESPN and Sports Content. “Pedro was a journalist of the elite of the highest caliber and his professional accomplishments were universally recognized. Most importantly, Pedro was a good and dear friend to all of us. Our hearts are with the Pedro family and all those who love him in this very difficult matter for a moment.”
Gomez survived his wife Sandra, his sons Rio and Dante, and daughter Sierra.
“Pedro was more than just a media figure,” his family said in a statement. “He was a father, a loving husband, a loyal friend, a coach, and a teacher. He was our everything and greatest believer in his children.”
Gomez, the son of Cuban parents who came to Miami just before his birth, was part of the network’s historical coverage in 2016 when Tampa Bay Rays faced the Cuban national team in Havana. He brought the ashes of his father and brother back to the family home on that trip. He also covered a football match for the United States men’s team in Havana in 2008 for ESPN, and an exhibition game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cuban team in 1999.
Additionally, he was a vital part of Barry Bonds’ network coverage from 2005 to 2007, including covering Bonds chasing to beat Hank Aaron’s record in 2007.
Gomez even recounted playing a game in ESPN baseball in 2014. He said his favorite event to cover was Game 6 of the 2003 National League Series, when Chicago Cubs fan Steve Bartman reached out. And try to make a mistake. Cubs player Moises Alu in a playoff match against the Miami Marlins, who scored eight runs in the set and imposed Game 7 of the series.
Prior to joining ESPN, Gomez wrote for the Miami News, San Diego Union, San Jose Mercury News, Miami Herald and Sacramento Bee, specializing in covering baseball, before becoming a columnist and national baseball writer for the Arizona Republic in 1997. .
Among the teams he covered as a writer were Oakland Athletics player Ricky Henderson, Jose Canseco and Mark McGuire, among others. Gomez told journalist Jeff Perlman once that it was as if, “We traveled with [Rolling] Stones. “
He was an award winning journalist, including the Associated Press Editors’ Association First Place Award in Arizona for “Discovering the Home I Never Knew” on his 1999 trip to Cuba.
Gomez was born in Miami and enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College, where he found his passion for journalism, and the University of Miami.