Patrick Mahomes had a head start on greatness.
Before he was Tom Brady‘s replacement, Mahomes was a wild gunslinger at Texas Tech putting up huge numbers but facing an uncertain NFL career.
But the real foundation for ‘Showtime Mahomes’ and his status as the new face of pro football — the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback can make NFL history on Sunday with a third consecutive Super Bowl trophy — was established in his childhood with a completely different sport.
Major League Baseball.
“I think more than anything … I got an inside look at what the greats do,” Mahomes exclusively told talkSPORT in New Orleans.
“Growing up, I saw guys like Alex Rodriguez and Torii Hunter or whoever.
“You see all the highlights and you see all the big plays, but you don’t see the day to day work that they put in.”
No. 15 for the Chiefs saw it all.
While most kids were balancing back-yard play with going to school and playing video games, Mahomes was immersed in a professional sports world that is still impacting his play as he aims for his fourth NFL championship.
Mahomes’ father, Pat, was a right-handed pitcher in MLB.
As Pat bounced from the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox to the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, the eventual superstar QB of the Chiefs was introduced to a pro world that few ever see.
Spending a couple hours around baseball superstars is one thing.
x@PMahomesPat Mahomes with a young Patrick in a Twins uniform[/caption]
X/ESPNMahomes was a sharp baseball player in his youth[/caption]
GettyPat Mahomes toes the mound for the Twins[/caption]
Mahomes had an inside look at pro clubhouses, the grind of daily MLB life, and all the off-the-field work that eventually leads to huge home runs and blazing strikeouts.
While his dad carved out a journeyman role as reliever, Mahomes understood as a child that true athletic greatness was built hour after hour, day after day.
“I got to see how hard they were hitting off the tee and how they were fielding the ground balls,” Mahomes said.
“Stuff that when you’re growing up you don’t want to do, because you don’t want to do the fundamentals. They do it every single day over and over again.
“And so it prepared me for the moments that whenever I got to this position, I wasn’t going to be satisfied with going out there and just competing on game day.”
Pat, 54, finished his 11-year MLB career with a 42-39 record, 5.47 ERA and 452 strikeouts in 709 innings.
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Mahomes, 29, is an avid Kansas City Royals fan and keeps up with MLB while guiding the Chiefs to win after win in the NFL.
During his youth, he threw a brilliant no-hitter and struck out 16 batters in a baseball game.
Mahomes was so good at baseball that he hit 95 mph on a radar gun while pitching on the mound, and also went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBIs at the plate.
“How is Derek Jeter not unanimous???? #BaseballHallofFame,” Mahomes tweeted on January 21, 2020.
The six-time Pro Bowler has won three Super Bowl MVPs and is 89-23 in the pros
Even more impressive, Mahomes is 17-3 in the playoffs.
The kid who grew up watching A-Rod, Hunter and future baseball Hall of Famers is on a better pace than Tom Brady, and already a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame before turning 30.
“I work on the fundamentals every single day and it’s made me a better player because of that,” Mahomes said.
After decades of fine-tuning and studying the best, Mahomes is one win away from NFL history.
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