ESPN's Pedro Gomez Dead at 58
Veteran ESPN SportsCenter 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 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.”
More from TVLine
“Pedro was far more than a media personality,” his family said in a statement to ESPN. “He was a dad, loving husband, loyal friend, coach and mentor. He was our everything and his kids’ biggest believer.”
Gomez joined ESPN in April 2003 as a reporter based in Phoenix, serving as a correspondent on SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight and other studio shows. For much of 2005 and 2006, his full-time assignment was to report on Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants (who hold spring training in Phoenix), his quest for Babe Ruth’s home-run mark and the swirl of controversy surrounding Bonds’ alleged use of steroids.
A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and a voting member for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Gomez came to ESPN from the Arizona Republic where he had 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.
Launch Gallery: TV Stars We Lost in 2021
Best of TVLine
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter