Ex-pitcher Mahomes relishes son's NFL success
Bill Ladson
@ladsonbill24Former Major League pitcher Pat Mahomes is having a great week.
On Sunday, he was in Kansas City, watching his eldest son, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, have a game for the ages as the Chiefs pounded the Houston Texans, 51-31, to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the second year in a row. One can understand why Patrick Mahomes is called ¡°Showtime.¡± The Chiefs were down, 24-0, in the second quarter before the QB worked his magic, throwing for 321 yards with five touchdowns in the comeback victory.
Pat Mahomes will be back in Kansas City this coming Sunday in hopes that his 24-year-old son has another record-breaking week against the Tennessee Titans and advances to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs are looking to play in the NFL¡¯s biggest game for the first time since January 1970.
¡°I¡¯m excited for my son and the team,¡± Pat Mahomes said via telephone. ¡°The ultimate goal is to have a chance to play in the Super Bowl. They are back in the same spot that they were last year, and having a chance to get there is just exciting for everybody.¡±
Currently, the baseball Mahomes is in Mets territory -- Port St. Lucie, Fla., having the time of his life serving as a coach at the Mets Fantasy Camp. He said he is teaching Mets fans how to play the game the right way.
¡°It is awesome to be able to mingle and hang out with lifetime Mets fans,¡± Mahomes said. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to do something like this for a while, and I¡¯m happy to be given a chance to mingle, hang out, coach and do these things. Watching the guys compete [is special].
¡°They are really trying to play this game we all love. To see the fire that they have, it makes it that much more exciting. They are fans, but they really do love the game of baseball.¡±
Mahomes, 49, played 11 years in the big leagues from 1992 to 2003 with six clubs, including the Mets, Twins and Rangers. Mahomes appeared in 308 games and posted a 42-39 record with a 5.47 ERA. His best season was in 1999 with the Mets, when he went 8-0 with a 3.68 ERA in 39 relief appearances. As New York reached the National League Championship Series, Mahomes appeared in four postseason games, allowing two runs over eight innings.
As Mahomes was traveling the baseball world, his son often tagged along. The younger Mahomes made friends with Alex Rodriguez and Rickey Henderson.
¡°They all stay in touch with him,¡± the father proudly said.
Mahomes thought his son was going to follow in his footsteps and play baseball. In fact, the Tigers selected Patrick Mahomes in the 37th round of the 2014 Draft. But he didn¡¯t sign because of his love for football.
¡°He looked at me and said, ¡®Dad, I want to play football.¡¯¡± Mahomes remembered. ¡°I said, ¡®Let¡¯s change the hat. We have a lot of work to do, and let¡¯s go.¡¯¡±
It¡¯s safe to say that the son didn¡¯t disappoint the father.
¡°He¡¯s my world. He is my firstborn,¡± Mahomes said. ¡°The best job that anybody could ever have is to be a dad. To see him go out and start to accomplish some of the goals that he set out for himself is just super exciting.¡±