RHP Ricardo Gomez Holds ALPB Record with 400 Appearances

CHARLESTON, WV (June 5, 2023) – Dirty Birds' right-handed pitcher, Ricardo Gomez made his 400th Atlantic League appearance. Gomez holds the record for the number of appearances in the league after clinching the all-time record in 2022 with 388 games played dating back to 2008.

Gomez broke the all-time record surpassing current Lancaster Barnstormers Manager, Ross Peeples. Peeples had 374 appearances in his Atlantic League before finishing up his pitching career in 2014.

“What a tremendous accomplishment for Ricardo and the Atlantic League,” said Dirty Birds' Manager, Billy Horn. “Ricardo has proven year in and year out not only his worth but also longevity. For him to continue to keep coming back to the Atlantic League shows the prestige of this league.”

The 45-year-old right-handed pitcher is in his 22 professional baseball season spending the last two seasons in Charleston. Gomez has appeared in 12 games with the Dirty Birds this season with 10 strikeouts and five saves.

Gomez started his career in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 1997 before playing in the Yankees organization in 2001. Since then, he has played in multiple independent leagues across the world with 1,225 career strikeouts, 181 saves, and a career ERA of 3.27.

“Ricardo being in his 22 season of professional baseball is an incredible accomplishment and being as good as he is for this long,” said Dirty Birds Pitching Coach, Joe Testa. “It is truly amazing and unbelievable. I am very proud and honored to have been able to coach him and be on the same team as him.”

A pre-game ceremony will be held on Tuesday, June 6 to honor Gomez for his accomplishment. The Dirty Birds will be joined by Atlantic League Present, Rick White.

The Charleston Dirty Birds are a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary season in 2023, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. ALPB has sent over 1,200 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 45 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks throughout its 25-year history. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com