ESPN Veteran Sports center reporter Pedro Gomez died suddenly on Sunday. He was 58.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn that our friend and colleague Pedro Gomez has passed away,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. ‘Pedro was an elite journalist at the highest level and his professional achievements are widely recognized. More importantly, Pedro was a friendly, dear friend to all of us. Our hearts go out to Pedro’s family and everyone who loves him in this extraordinary difficult time. ”
“Pedro was much more than a media personality,” his family said in a statement to ESPN. “He was a father, loving husband, loyal friend, coach and mentor. He was our all and his children’s greatest believer. ”
Gomez joined ESPN in April 2003 as a reporter in Phoenix, where he was a correspondent SportsCenter, Baseball tonight and other studio performances. For much of 2005 and 2006, his full-time assignment was to report on Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants (who holds a spring training in Phoenix), his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s own home page, and the whirlwind of controversy. around Bonds’ alleged use of steroids.
A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and a voting member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Gomez came to ESPN from the Republic of Arizona where he has served as a sports columnist and national baseball writer since 1997. Prior to that, he was the Oakland Athletics’ beat writer for the San Jose Mercury News and then the Sacramento Bee.
Gomez’s son Rio is a pitcher in the Boston Red Sox organization.