Jonny Gomes, Petaluma native, continues life in MLB
PETALUMA, Calif. — Sagittarius is said never to fail in hitting the mark; it’s no wonder that astrologers claim Jonny Gomes’ zodiac sign is Sagittarius. It’s only befitting of a man like Gomes, who sure did hit his mark.
Born on Nov. 22, 1980, in Petaluma, California Johnny Gomes is a famous baseball player and a member of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. A father to Zoe and Colt Gomes and spouse to Kristi Widlak, this famous American former professional baseball outfielder and coach did not start from the top.
In May 1997, at age 16, Jonny was involved in an accident that claimed his best friend’s life. Although he survived the crash with minor injuries, Adam Westcott, seated next to Jonny Gomes in the back-passenger seat, wasn’t as lucky. Johnny, however, tattooed his best friend’s initials on his arm.
In 1999, Jonny Gomes graduated from Casa Grande High School, where he was an all-league player. He then forged on in excellence to Santa Rosa Junior College. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays picked Jonny Gomes in the 18th round of the 2001 MLB Draft after a 0.356 batting average in his sophomore season, compared to his earlier record of 0.127 hits, 23 strikeouts and 55 plate appearances. Gomes had grown.
In 1999, Gomes graduated from Santa Rosa Junior college, where he earned a spot on the hall of fame in athletics, and in his 55 plate appearances, set a record of 23 strikeouts with a 0.127 hit. A significant improvement could be noticed on Gomes during his sophomore season because he has a better batting average record of 0.356 and nine home runs. It was these achievements that paved his way to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Following a heart attack on Christmas Eve in 2002, Gomes had the doctor in charge of the Rays’ team players have some nitroglycerin pills with him and some other players just in case another episode occurred. Gomes had ignored the symptoms for about 27-hours before finally seeking professional care, where he was told he could have passed on if he ignored them any further.
Gomes talked about his health situation saying, “It was a heart attack. One of my valves got clogged, they don’t know what it was from. I was in the hospital for four days. They ran every test, everything from steroids to drugs to enzymes, and every single one came back (OK). All the top doctors, they knew how to treat me and what would help, but they had no idea what caused it.”
Now, this heart attack didn’t drag him down. On Sept. 12, 2003, the first major league debut in Jonny Gomes career was made, after which he spent the year 2004 switching between the Triple-A Durham Bulls and Tampa Bay teams.
In 45 games, Gomes would attain a batting average of 0.321 with 14 home runs and 46 runs batted in (RBIs), with the Durham Bulls joining the Devil Rays permanently in July 2004. On his return to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Jonny Gomes started 2006 with a team record of 11 home runs in April.
With a hot start, Jonny struggled to conclude the playoff with a 0.216 batting average. Gomes also worked out as playing a role in the essential plans for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
The year 2007 started rough for Jonny Gomes as he struggled to a 0.184 batting average with the Durham Bulls. However, this batting average didn’t last long because as soon as he was recalled to Tampa Bay on June 14th, his batting average increased and he finished the 2007 season with a 0.244 batting average with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs while drawing 39 walks in 348 at-bats.
On March 12, 2008, Gomes dashed into the play area during the spring training and tackled Shelley Duncan, a player from the New York Yankees. Johnny Gomes’ actions resulted in his and Shelley Duncan’s suspension for two games in the mainspring season. Gomez was, however, unapologetic for coming to Akinori Iwamura’s aid when Shelley Duncan plunked him.
Gomes started his actions purely in defense of his teammate, saying that: “I was truly up, always to protect a teammate’s back. I just acted like I wasn’t trying to get a shot in on him. I probably could have done a lot of things worse. But it is a baseband, and kids are watching kids watching. I just had to let him know that’s not going to fly.”
Jonny Gomes works with the Arizona Diamondbacks as its minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator. With a track record of playing in MLB for teams like the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Kansas City Royals from 2003 through 2016.
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