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IL Worcester Red Sox

Rio Gomez, his Latin Heritage, and his Father's Legacy

August 24, 2023 - International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


The story of Rio and Pedro Gomez has been one filled with struggles, hard work, and an insatiable mindset of never giving up, both on different fronts but with the same mentality of smiling through adversity and always working toward their dreams.

For Pedro Gomez, Rio's father who was born in Miami just after his parents immigrated from Cuba, it was a long road working in sports journalism before joining one of the biggest media outlets in the world, ESPN.

There, Pedro quickly won the hearts of fans, colleagues, and even players themselves. Associated with the sports network for 18 years, he interviewed legends of the game, such as David Ortiz, Pedro Martínez, and several others.

For Pedro's son Rio Gomez, when his dreams of becoming a professional baseball player seemed to come to an end after being cut from his varsity baseball team, Pedro encouraged him to keep trying at the collegiate level, where he was a walk-on for both Mesa Community College and the University of Arizona. The struggles of that 18-year-old boy in high school transformed him into the 36th pick by the Boston Red Sox in the 2017 MLB Draft.

"Whenever anything happened in baseball I turned to my dad." Rio said. "He was always the one who I would've always been like, 'Hey, I'm struggling here.' He was always there to walk me off the ledge."

That's how Rio remembers his dad, who passed away on February 7, 2021, at the age of 58. Rio, today a 28-year-old left-handed pitcher for the WooSox, is one step away from achieving the goal any professional baseball player dreams of, and of course, his father's wish: The Big Leagues.

Due to his father's job, Rio had the opportunity to get unique tips from major league legends, a resource that later on will pave his way into professional baseball. For instance, Greg Maddux, Hall of Fame pitcher, gave tips to Pedro for Rio's changeup, who at an earlier age had been interested in baseball.

"I was so fortunate that my dad had so many connections in baseball," Rio said. "I remember as a kid having a conversation with Greg Maddux just working on the changeup grip, having a conversation with Nomar Garciaparra on how to handle pressure when it comes to baseball. At the time when you're a little kid you don't think much about it, but when you get older you're like, 'Wow.' Just these small tips stick in your brain, you remember and you carry it throughout your career."

Pedro, who was always there following his son's path as an athlete and suffered through every outing due to nerves, seems to continue following in his footsteps from above. Rio credits two of the most important outings of his career to days that reminded him of his dad-Father's Day and the day of Pedro's birthday-which both occurred during the first year of his departure.

"I remember that day perfectly, [the] first Father's Day since my dad died. That week was really where it all started to turn around. In a moment leading up to it, I was like, 'Okay, now how do I pull all of the emotions in because I don't wanna be too distracted if I get called in to pitch?' And then I pitched that day and afterwards the manager Corey Wimberly went to shake my hand and he told me, 'You're done for the day, good job,' and I was like, 'No man, I just need a hug right now.' He gave me a hug right there and that was when I let all the emotions out. I went to the clubhouse and I cried a lot."

Rio threw one inning, struck out two, and allowed one hit in what he calls the beginning of his "second career." He credits his former teammate Seth Blair from the Double-A Portland SeaDogs with a big part of his rebirth.

"Blair was the one that convinced me to lower my arm slot and just how to find confidence with myself again, and I feel I owe him my entire second career from that point," Rio said.

On August 20, 2021-the day Pedro would've turned 59-a similar story. The only difference is that nobody knew what that day meant to Rio in the clubhouse. In the end, he took the mound and did his job, throwing two innings with two strikeouts, one walk, and zero hits.

"I didn't expect to pitch or anything, and then I ended up pitching that day," Rio said. "When I was done I told the coaches, 'Hey, you don't know this, but today's my dad's birthday. You didn't know, but thanks for letting me pitch.' And they had no idea."

Rio's determination transcended borders last March when he got the call to represent Colombia in the World Baseball Classic. Gomez was eligible thanks to his mother Sandra's roots, having been born in the country's capital, Bogotá.

After quality performances on the mound, Rio did not return to Portland. Instead, the Red Sox organization promoted him to Triple-A Worcester. His first outing at Polar Park was one to remember for him and his family; his mother surprised him in Worcester, getting to see him as a starting pitcher in the 5-4 victory against the Rochester Red Wings on June 8. Rio threw 3 innings, struck out 4 and conceded 5 hits, 2 runs, and 2 bases.

That particular game, a Wepa Night honoring Cuban culture with former pitcher Luis Tiant as a special guest, was perfect for Gomez.

"Because it was so well-known that my dad was a Cuban immigrant [and] I'm obviously of Cuban descent, sometimes it gets forgotten that my mom's side is Colombian," Rio said. "The [World Baseball] Classic gave me the opportunity to show that this is my other half. A few months later, my first home outing here in Worcester, the stars aligned perfectly. It was a Cuban night and it was very cool how it almost just feels like how it wasn't an accident how all of that aligned."

This season with the WooSox, the Miami-born pitcher has been given a boost of confidence by manager Chad Tracy to continue as a starting pitcher. With eight appearances so far this season, Rio has established himself in the Worcester rotation with a family that supports and cheers him on from heaven and Earth.

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