ESPN baseball reporter, Miami native Pedro Gomez dies at 58: ‘A brutal shock’
Pedro Gomez, a proud Miami native and longtime ESPN baseball reporter, died unexpectedly Sunday at age 58, sending shockwaves through Major League Baseball and sports media.
“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 on Twitter and the network’s website. “Pedro was an elite journalist at the highest level and his professional accomplishments are universally recognized. More importantly, Pedro was a kind, dear friend to us all. Our hearts are with Pedro’s family and all who love him at this extraordinarily difficult time.”
He died at his Arizona home. No cause of death was given. News of his death spread during the Super Bowl, and by the end of the game Twitter was flooded with tributes. He is survived by wife, Sandra, a daughter Sierra, and two sons, Dante and Rio, a minor-league pitcher in the Red Sox organization.
“Pedro was far more than a media personality. He was a Dad, loving husband, loyal friend, coach and mentor,” the Gomez family said in a statement. “He was our everything and his kids’ biggest believer.”
Baseball fans knew Gomez as the knowledgeable, personable reporter who covered more than 25 World Series and appeared on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and “Baseball Tonight.” To the South Florida Cuban community, and Hispanic sports journalists nationwide, he was a beacon and mentor.
Gomez’ parents fled Cuba for the United States in 1962. He attended Coral Park High, Miami-Dade College and the University of Miami. He got his start as a part-time writer with the South-Dade News Leader (1984-85) and moved on to the Miami News (1985-1988) and the Miami Herald (1994-95) before becoming a nationally known baseball reporter.
“It’s a brutal shock that leaves sickness in your stomach for days,” said former ESPN and Miami Herald journalist Dan LeBatard. “He was such a kind light. A testament to the profession, to his culture and to the touching and profound and echoing impact of simple human decency. You won’t find too many anybodys willing to say a bad word about Pedro.”
Gomez was part of ESPN’s coverage in 2016 when the Tampa Bay Rays faced the Cuban national team, and he shared the emotional story of taking his father’s and brother’s ashes to Cuba.
Jose de Jesus Ortiz, former president of the Baseball Writers of America Association wrote on his website OurEsquina.com: “Pedro Gomez was one of the good ones. He was a proud Cubano, proud father and loving husband. He was also a brilliant journalist and supportive mentor who would travel the country to visit with college students in his free time or to attend an event to help raise funds, as he did just last week in Round Rock, Texas. Legions of us cried after we learned that he died…He was a friend and counselor, a motivator and teacher, a shoulder to lean on and an example on how to live our lives.”
National baseball writer Claire Smith wrote: “Pedro was the best of us, the kindest, sweetest person you’d ever want to call brother, friend, compatriot, peer. Pedro was special, his mixture of empathy and insightfulness, combined with a reporter’s instinct and ear brought about telling pieces that enabled us to see his subjects in a most human, and humane fashion. That’s called art, and Pedro was masterful in not just one but two languages.”
Gomez joined ESPN as a Phoenix-based reporter in 2003 after being a columnist and national baseball writer at The Arizona Republic since 1997. He was the Oakland Athletics beat writer for the Sacramento Bee from 1995 to 1997 and at the San Jose Mercury News from 1990-1994. He was known for his coverage of Barry Bonds’ home run record chase during the steroid controversy.
He once said in a network bio that his favorite event he covered was Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series between the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs.
Said ESPN’s Jorge Sedano: “I’m forever grateful for his friendship. He was a trailblazing journalist. He opened the door for Latinos in sports TV. I can’t even explain how sad I am right now.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 11:50 AM.