Wayne Maurice Gomes (born January 15, 1973) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) from 1997 through 2002 for the Philadelphia Phillies,

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

, and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

. Listed at 6' 2", 215 lb., Gomes batted and threw right handed.

Career

Born and raised in Hampton, Virginia, Gomes graduated from

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia w ...

with a degree in recreation and leisure studies, and is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. In 1992, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Orleans Cardinals The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star. In between, Gomes spent six seasons in the

Minor Leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

, and also played winter ball with the

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A. or better known by its commercial name as the ''Leones del Caracas'', is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. In its creation, its headquarters are the University Stadium of C ...

club of the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

during the 2004 season. Following his retirement from baseball, Gomes returned to his hometown area of Suffolk and formed the Virginia Baseball Academy. The VBA soon would be located at the Hampton Family YMCA on LaSalle Avenue in Hampton, offering baseball training services, practice venues, and baseball products. In addition, the VBA served as the operator of the

Peninsula Pilots The Peninsula Pilots are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at the War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia. The Pilots first started participating in the Co ...

AAU baseball and softball organization.Wayne Gomes Youth Baseball Diversity Foundation
/ref> Gomes was named to the Colonial Athletic Association's 25th anniversary baseball team in 2010. He was inducted into the

Sports Hall of Fame in April 2001 and was inducted into the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame on November 6, 2010.

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomes, Wayne 1973 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Virginia Batavia Clippers players Boston Red Sox players Camden Riversharks players Clearwater Phillies players Lakewood BlueClaws players Leones de Yucatán players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Nashville Sounds players Old Dominion Monarchs baseball players Orleans Firebirds players Pawtucket Red Sox players Philadelphia Phillies players Reading Phillies players San Francisco Giants players Saraperos de Saltillo players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Sportspeople from Hampton, Virginia