A Brief History
On April 13, 2013, Yan Gomes, born in Brazil of Portuguese descent, hit a home run for the Cleveland Indians, his first hit as an Indian, but not his first homer ever.
Digging Deeper
Gomes moved to the United States at age 12, and played high school baseball and college baseball at the University of Tennessee, where he was an All-American, and later switched to Barry University after 2 years at UT. Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009, Gomes was promoted to the big league club on May 17, 2012, becoming the first Major League baseball player from Brazil. He also got his first hit that day, and a home run the next day.
Gomes was traded to the Cleveland Indians during the off season (November 2012) and has been with Cleveland since. A valued member of the team, Gomes plays mainly catcher and helped the Tribe go to the World Series in 2016. In 2015 Gomes hit 21 home runs, and has 57 dingers so far in his career.
Gomes has also played baseball for the Brazilian National Team, leading that team to their first ever slot at the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He is married to the daughter of a former Major League All Star pitcher. Yan is signed with the Indians through 2020.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
2015 Topps Strata Black #SA-YGS Yan Gomes Certified Autograph Baseball Card – Only 50 made!
