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Rio Gomez, the son of late ESPN MLB reporter Pedro Gomez, paid tribute to his father with a touching interview during an ESPN broadcast of a Boston Red Sox – Tampa Bay Rays spring training game in Fort Myers, Florida.
Gomez, who is a minor league pitcher in the Red Sox organization, talked about his father’s impact on his life and revealed that he may have given up baseball if it were not for the beloved reporter.
“There [were] times I didn’t even believe in myself during my career and he was there to push me with that belief,” Rio said during the broadcast. “The connection and the love that we had that tied us together with baseball was second to none.
“There was many times he was more excited about my own career than I was. It was always great having him by my side like that.”
"It meant the world to me."
Rio Gomez talks about what it was like to have his late father, Pedro Gomez, support him in the stands ❤ pic.twitter.com/vMFMxKYgys
— ESPN (@espn) March 2, 2021
Pedro Gomez, who covered 22 MLB All-Star Games and 25 World Series, passed away suddenly at 58-years-old in early February.
Rio, meanwhile, was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 36th round of the 2017 MLB Draft after starring in college for the Arizona Wildcats. In 2019, Rio went 3-2 with a 2.20 ERA.
