Rio Gomez, a minor league pitcher with the Red Sox, spoke to ESPN about his father.
When longtime ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez died in February, a wave of support and heartfelt messages were sent from players, coaches and colleagues who had the pleasure of crossing paths with Gomez. But the baseball reporter not only left a lasting legacy, but a son with a budding baseball career.
Rio Gomez, a minor league pitcher with the Red Sox, spoke during ESPN's broadcast when Boston was facing Tampa Bay on Tuesday. He fondly remembers his father and how Gomez would surprise him at some of his games throughout his life.
"It meant the world to me," he said.
Gomez, 26, spoke specifically of a time when he was in extended spring training back in 2018 and felt like his career was "slipping away" but when his father surprised him in Fort Myers, Florida it made all the difference in the world.
"There was many times he was more excited about my own career than I was," Gomez said, according to USA Today. "It was always great having him by my side like that."
Gomez helped lead the University of Arizona to the 2016 College World Series and was drafted by the Red Sox in 2017. The young pitcher said he and his family were overwhelmed by the outpouring support after his father's death, and has nothing but fond memories of his father.
"The connection and the love that we had that tied us together with baseball was second to none," Gomez said. "He was my biggest fan, my biggest supporter. There was times I didn't even believe in myself during my career and he was there to push me with that belief."