After a thrilling 2-1 walkoff win over the Dodgers, Luis Arraez stood outside the Padres’ dugout. He was waiting for an interview with Mariluz Cook, the newest addition to the Padres broadcasting team, about his electric game-winning hit at Petco Park. Suddenly, the crowd roared as Padres stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado jettisoned tubs of Gatorade onto Arraez and Cook. Cook recalled this as her favorite memory in sports broadcasting: “Absolutely drenched. I can’t think of anything else in my career that has been as special as that moment.” Experiencing this celebration alongside the players came as a result of years of working various jobs, and originally, not even expecting to become a broadcaster.
Hailing from Florida, Cook attended Florida Atlantic University (FAU) with an interest in criminal justice and planned to become an attorney. She loved watching FAU’s baseball games and volunteered to help set up the inflatable mascots. This involvement led her to an interview with a baseball player, sparking a realization that sports broadcasting was her true passion. With a smile, she said, “Just the feeling of it, I’ll never forget. It’s this thrill I had never had before.”
She learned how to use a camera, edit, and produce her own show covering the FAU baseball team called “Pitching You My Best.” With this show, she won Reporter of the Year for FAU’s broadcasting network, OWL TV. After graduating, Cook moved to Salt Lake City, where she covered the Big Sky Conference, hosted for the Utah Jazz and Utah Grizzlies, and worked as an NBC news anchor. Juggling five jobs, she found herself overwhelmed and sought change. When the Padres announced a job opening in November of 2023, she seized the opportunity. Cook said, “I’ve always wanted to live in San Diego. I’ve been coming here my whole life.” She often visits her grandma, Bink Cook, who lives in San Diego.
She added that “baseball was [her] first love.” Cook grew up going to her brother’s travel ball games, and estimated she had attended “over 500 baseball games, easily,” by the time she reached high school. So when she got the job with the Padres, Cook was ecstatic.
Reflecting on her early career in a male-dominated field, Cook recalled feeling the need to prove herself. She said, “I asked long-winded questions to prove I knew what I was talking about. I watered down my personality and wasn’t truly authentic.” Cook later realized, “I can be a woman and belong here. It is what it is, me… liking makeup and liking fashion. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I can be knowledgeable about sports too.” Cook has since embraced her role as the only woman on the Padres broadcasting team. She feels respected and hasn’t been treated differently, other than maybe, “they’ll open the doors for me,” she added with a laugh.
Not only does Cook bring her baseball knowledge and bubbly energy to the team, she brings a fresh perspective: she feels she “adds dimension as to who these guys are off the field.” When Matt Waldron made his Padres debut last season, broadcaster Bob Scanlan interviewed him on the development of his unique knuckleball. This season, Cook interviewed Waldron’s twin brother, Mike. Cook recalled that Mike spoke about “being a twin and said that he’s better at golf.” He “was emotional talking about what it meant to see his twin brother, who he’s closer with than anybody else in the world, shining on a big stage at Petco Park.” In another interview, Cook spoke to Padres rookie Jackson Merrill after a spring training game. After learning Merrill is 13 years younger than his older brother, Cook wondered, “does that translate into how he interacts in this clubhouse? What’s his family dynamic?” Cook’s ability to bring out narratives from a different angle gives the audience stories they might not have heard otherwise.
Cook also connects with players through her Cuban-American heritage. Cook recalls Padres leadoff hitter Luis Arraez was “so excited” when “[she] told him [she] was Cuban.” Now, before an interview, he’ll ask Cook, “English or Spanish?” And she’ll always reply, “Hey, whatever you want.” For Cook, connecting with players on a different level is the most rewarding part of her job.
When asked what advice she would give to young women who aspire to enter sports media, Cook said, “It is 100% possible to do. Work really hard. Don’t be deterred by ‘no’s. Be diverse in your skill set.” She recalled, “I applied for 72 different jobs. I had to create opportunities, so I started my show (at FAU). I had never edited or used a camera before. I figured it out along the way.”
By creating opportunities and sharing her unique perspective, Cook was able to kick off her successful career as a sports broadcaster. Now, she’s working her dream job: talking to players, giving analytical reports, and best of all, Gatorade baths. And one more piece of advice from Ms. Cook: when opportunities arise, “Don’t say no.” As a big fan of the San Diego Padres, I’m sure glad Mariluz Cook did not say no to San Diego.
