ESPN veteran Sports center Reporter Pedro Gomez died suddenly on Sunday. He was 58 years old.
“We are shocked and sad to learn that our friend and colleague Pedro Gomez passed away,” said ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro in a statement. “Pedro was an elite journalist at the highest level and his professional achievements are universally recognized. Most importantly, Pedro was a kind and dear friend to all of us. Our hearts are with the family of Pedro and all who love him in this extraordinarily 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, trainer and mentor. He was our everything and the greatest believer of his children ”.
Gomez joined ESPN in April 2003 as a Phoenix-based reporter, serving as a correspondent in SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight and other studio programs. For much of 2005 and 2006, his full-time assignment was reporting on Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants (who conduct spring training in Phoenix), his search for Babe Ruth’s goal and the whirlwind of controversy surrounding the 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 Arizona Republic, where he served as a sports columnist and national baseball writer since 1997. Prior to that, he was the beat writer for Oakland Athletics for San Jose Mercury News and then for Sacramento Bee.
Gomez’s son Rio is a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox organization.