buy a lottery ticket that he was selling to make some badly needed money. The boy insisted that Gómez buy the ticket because his uniform number matched that of the ticket, and Gómez, who did not normally buy such tickets, agreed. To his great surprise the ticket was a winner of a $35,000 prize. Gómez attempted to share the money with the boy's family and when they refused, he went to a local bank and set up a trust fund for the lad, to be given to him at age 18. In 1967, Gómez was 39 years old and still playing with Veracruz, when the Phillies gave him another shot. He pitched only innings that season in seven games, making his last appearance on May 2, 1967. Between 1947 and 1977, Gómez played 28 winter seasons with the Cangrejeros de Santurce and Vaqueros de Bayamón of the Puerto Rican league, setting league marks for a pitcher in wins (174) and ERA (2.97). In addition, his six victories in the Caribbean World Series ties him with José Bracho and Camilo Pascual for the most all-time wins in the tournament. Gómez also pitched in the Venezuelan league for the Navegantes del Magallanes during the 1965–1966 season, and from 1968 to 1970 in the Saguenay senior league for the Chicoutimi Bombardiers. He was the star of the league. His first year with Chicoutimi he got a perfect record of 12–0 and an earned run average of 1.20. Next year, 1969, he went 9–1 with a 0.82 ERA. Two other former MLB players also played in that league: Art Ditmar and Wayne Granger. Baseball historians Bill James and Rob Neyer have ranked Gómez's screwball the tenth-best of all time. Later years In 2001, Gómez was hospitalized after a lengthy fight against cancer, and was about to receive surgery. A doctor from Mexico requested permission to attend the operation. When Gómez asked the doctor why he had come, he replied, "I was that little boy, the money that you left in trust was enough to pay for my medical school." Rubén Gómez Colón died in Carolina, Puerto Rico, at the age of 77. Among those who attended his funeral services was his best friend and countryman, former big leaguer Luis Rodríguez Olmo. Gómez was buried in the Guayama Municipal Cemetery in Guayama, Puerto Rico. See also List of Puerto Ricans Players from Puerto Rico in