Los Angeles Dodgers v San Francisco Giants | Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
We have some unfortunate news to share. Former SF Giants reliever Roberto Gómez tragically died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic earlier this week, per Héctor Gómez of Z101 Digital. He was 35.
Unfortunately, Gómez is not the first Giants alum to lose his life in a car accident this year. Reyes Moronta also passed away in a car accident in August. The Giants held a moment of silence in recognition of his life in a game against the A’s.
It is always tough to reflect on a person’s life when they seemingly have so much of it in front of them. For Gómez, 35 is far too young to die as was the case with Moronta.
Gómez’s pro career began in 2010 when he was signed as an international free agent by the Tampa Bay Rays out of the Dominican Republic. He was only 20 at the time of the signing.
The right-handed pitcher originally came up as a starter but shifted to the bullpen later in his career. He spent the first five years as a pro in the Rays organization, reaching as high as Double-A, before being released.
Gómez went nearly a year between pro outings but he resurfaced with the Giants in 2017 on a minor league deal. He spent the bulk of that season with the Sacramento River Cats where he posted a 4.07 ERA, 89 strikeouts, and 38 walks in 97.1 frames. He made 38 appearances, including 13 starts.
Those are solid numbers for the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and the Giants rewarded him with a brief call-up at the end of the year. He yielded five earned runs in 5.1 innings with San Francisco.
Gómez returned to the Giants in 2018 and pitched to a 3.91 ERA in 18 outings split between Triple-A and the Arizona Rookie League. He also made five appearances with the Giants that season. That year turned out to be his final one as a pro. Gómez signed a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2019 season but the contract was voided.
We at Around the Foghorn would like to extend our condolences to Gómez’s friends and family as they go through this devastating time.
