Fall River native Brandon Gomes: World Series championship more special this year

Brandon Gomes can testify that winning a World Series championship in the strangest of all baseball seasons is no less special.

A compact, barely-time-to-breathe 60-game regular season. A dangerous 2-out-3 first-round series. And then two-and-a-half weeks in suburban Dallas for the NLCS and World Series.

“It’s obviously strange,” Gomes, the Durfee High graduate and vice president/assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers, said from home in southern California on Thursday. “But it’s possibly even more special because of all the obstacles.”

In a showdown between the two franchises that have defined Gomes’ Major League Baseball career, the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, defeated the Tampa Rays 3-1 to capture the 2020 World Series 4 games to 2.

“It’s incredible,” saidGomes, who pitched for the Rays for five seasons. “It’s everything you aim for, from when you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed. It’s a testament to our staff and players. Players have said this 60-game season has been every bit as challenging as 162. It’s like being in a microwave.”

Gomes was part of the Dodger bubble, the group of players, manager, coaches, trainers, scouts, executives and other vital staff members who, due to COVID-19 fears, existed together since Sept. 23 when Gomes left home for what would be almost five weeks and moved into a Los Angeles hotel.

There was plenty of work to keep the Tulane University graduate busy. He was part of the Dodger team that brainstormed each and every day, figuring out how Los Angeles pitchers should attack opposing batters, what the bullpen options would be any given night.

“You hope when the team goes out for the game, things are crystallized,” Gomes said, adding he does not envy manager Dave Roberts and his coaches for having to make the difficult decisions in game time.

When Julio Urias ended the World Series by pouring a called third strike past Willy Adames, Gomes said he experienced the expected adrenaline rush, one a little different than players experience, but a rush nonetheless.

One of those players, of course, was former Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts, traded to the Dodgers last February. He hammered a solo home run on Tuesday night and, Gomes said, has been a very special addition to the Dodgers. Betts helped the Red Sox to defeat the Dodgers in the 2018 World Series.

“He’s everything we could have hoped for, as a player, as a leader,” Gomes said. “His preparation is like nothing I’ve ever seen. His attention to detail, his work ethic. To have him as part of this team is an absolute joy.”

Gomes made his way to the field for the somewhat reserved celebration. He said Wednesday’s team flight home, with masks and social distancing in place, was also subdued. Fans did assemble at Dodger Stadium to celebrate the Dodgers first World Series crown since 1988 and to welcome LA’s second world champion this fall. The Lakers won the NBA title earlier this month.

Gomes said he returned home at about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, finally reuniting with wife Blair, daughter Olivia, 4 next week, and son Julian, 1. He said he hasn’t been able to gauge the excitement of the suddenly championship crazed Los Angeles sports fans whose Dodgers lost in the World Series in 2017 and 2018.

“I’ll let you know know when I get out of the house,” Gomes said. “People are pretty excited to have broken the drought.”

Named assistant GM and vice president in March of 2019, Gomes said his primary job focus since that promotion has changed from player development to the major league team. Even during the playoffs, he said, the groundwork for the 2021 season was being laid as the Dodger brass discussed matters like how arbitration and free agency may affect next season’s roster.