Pedro Gomez (sports reporter)
Encyclopedia
Pedro Gomez is a Phoenix
-based reporter for ESPN
's SportsCenter
show. He is primarily a baseball reporter and is also a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America
. He has covered nearly 15 World Series
, including each one since 1995, and more than 10 All-Star Games and is a voting member for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
refugees, born just 20 days after his parents arrived in 1962 via PAN AMERICAN, two months before the missile crisis of October 1962. Gomez attended Coral Park High School
in Miami, as well as Miami-Dade Community College (south campus) and the University of Miami
.
, Gomez became a full-time baseball beat writer in 1992, covering the Oakland Athletics
for the San Jose Mercury News
and Sacramento Bee from 1990 to 1997.
fan, covered major topics such as the Cincinnati Reds
victory over the defending World Series
champion A's in 1990, José Canseco
's trade to the Texas Rangers
for Rubén Sierra
in 1992, Rickey Henderson
's 1,000th stolen base, and other moments of relative importance to the team.
, San Jose
and later as a national baseball writer and general sports columnist for the Arizona Republic in Phoenix
from 1997 to 2003 led to ESPN's hiring of him in 2003 to work at SportsCenter. Gomez is not an anchorman, but he specializes in baseball and, of more note, was assigned to follow Barry Bonds
for the better part of three seasons, culminating in Bonds' passing of Hank Aaron for the all-time home run record.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
-based reporter for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
show. He is primarily a baseball reporter and is also a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America
Baseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
. He has covered nearly 15 World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, including each one since 1995, and more than 10 All-Star Games and is a voting member for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Early life
Gomez is the son of CubanCuban exile
The term "Cuban exile" refers to the many Cubans who have sought alternative political or economic conditions outside the island, dating back to the Ten Years' War and the struggle for Cuban independence during the 19th century...
refugees, born just 20 days after his parents arrived in 1962 via PAN AMERICAN, two months before the missile crisis of October 1962. Gomez attended Coral Park High School
Miami Coral Park High School
Miami Coral Park Senior High School is a secondary school, located at 8865 S.W. 16th Street in the Westchester neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. The school was opened in 1963. It was the first school with A/C in south Florida. The principal is Dr. Nick JacAngelo...
in Miami, as well as Miami-Dade Community College (south campus) and the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
.
Career
After years of covering high schools and general assignment sports in Miami, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, Gomez became a full-time baseball beat writer in 1992, covering the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
for the San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
and Sacramento Bee from 1990 to 1997.
During his tenure as a writer covering the Oakland Athletics
During his tenure as a writer covering the Athletics, Gomez, a lifetime baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
fan, covered major topics such as the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
victory over the defending World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
champion A's in 1990, José Canseco
José Canseco
José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...
's trade to the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for Rubén Sierra
Rubén Sierra
Rubén Angel Sierra García is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Sierra also goes by the nicknames El Caballo and El Indio....
in 1992, Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henley Henderson is a former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner...
's 1,000th stolen base, and other moments of relative importance to the team.
National work
He gained much experience during this seven year period as a writer for those newspapers. His work in SacramentoSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and later as a national baseball writer and general sports columnist for the Arizona Republic in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
from 1997 to 2003 led to ESPN's hiring of him in 2003 to work at SportsCenter. Gomez is not an anchorman, but he specializes in baseball and, of more note, was assigned to follow Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
for the better part of three seasons, culminating in Bonds' passing of Hank Aaron for the all-time home run record.