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Longtime ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez dies at 58

LOWELL, MA - JULY 2: ESPN's Pedro Gomez, left, stands with his son Rio Gomez, a rookie pitcher with the Lowell Spinners, before a game against the Aberdeen Tigers at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA on July 2, 2018. The elder Gomez has covered baseball in Bristol, CT since 2003, regularly appearing on shows such as SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight. The younger Gomez was selected by the Red Sox in the 36th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Pedro Gomez got to watch his son Rio play in the Red Sox system. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

If you’ve tuned into an episode of “SportsCenter” or an ESPN baseball broadcast some time in the past two decades, odds are you’ve seen Pedro Gomez at work.

The longtime ESPN reporter died Sunday, the network announced in a statement. He was 58.

The cause of Gomez’s death is currently unknown, with ESPN only saying he “passed away unexpectedly.” A tweet had been posted from Gomez’s Twitter account as recently as Sunday morning, about eight hours before the announcement was made.

From ESPN:

“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. He died unexpectedly at home this afternoon.”

Gomez’s ESPN tenure began in 2003. Before that, Gomez had worked as a baseball reporter for newspapers across the country, including the Arizona Republic, Sacramento Bee, Miami Herald, San Jose Mercury News and San Diego Union.

With ESPN, Gomez was a fixture of the network’s baseball coverage and widely respected throughout the sport:

“We are shocked and saddened to learn that our friend and colleague Pedro Gomez has passed away,” said ESPN chairman James Pitaro. “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.”

Gomez’s proudest accomplishment, however, might have been watching his son Rio get drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2017 MLB draft. In 2019, Rio Gomez posted a 2.20 ERA in 69.2 innings pitched as a reliever between Class A and Class A Advanced.

News of Gomez’s death was met with shock and sadness from baseball reporters, players and personalities, both inside and outside of ESPN.

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