Sports have no boundaries. And when it comes to connection with other sports, the football world has deeper connections with every other sport, be it NBA or Baseball. In NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes‘s life, baseball has been a true love. And where did that come from? Obviously from his former MLB Pitcher dad Pat Mahomes Sr.. But there is one legend in baseball who has a tremendous influence on the Chiefs QB.

It’s none other than MLB legend Alex Rodriguez. He was the reason Patrick Mahomes was initially attracted to baseball. But then he switched to the NFL and became a superstar or one of the greatest quarterbacks. Mahomes first met Rodriguez when he was five. On Feb 3, Alex Rodriguez shared a heartfelt note with Mahomes on Instagram. Sharing a photo of little five-year-old Patrick, Rodriguez captioned it, “I’m so glad Patrick Mahomes didn’t listen to me. But in all seriousness, this story still gives me goosebumps from watching Pat as a kid at batting practice to seeing him go for 3-peat Sunday. It’s been incredible to watch his journey and see him grow into one of the best athletes of the generation. Good luck out this weekend Pat!” Honestly, all fans would be thankful for that. However, looking at Showtime’s throwing skills, we can say baseball would have had a great pitcher if Mahomes had chosen otherwise.

Talking about Mahomes’s love for baseball, he used to accompany his father to the games. Everyone on Pat Mahomes Sr.’s team was in awe, whenever he brought little Patrick to the baseball stadium. Watching legends like Alex Rodriguez and other star players practice and dominate the game left a lasting impression on him. That’s where his love for baseball truly began! He’s even admitted multiple times that baseball was his first love.

But you know, Mahomes has learned a lot of lessons from a former Yankees legend. Wanna know what important lessons he learned from Alex Rodriguez? Let’s dive in.

Patrick Mahomes learned invaluable lessons from Alex Rodriguez 

During an interview in 2021, Patrick Mahomes shared his thoughts on Alex Rodriguez’s influence. The three-time Super Bowl champion recalled, “One part of it is I grew up and I’ve always envisioned I was gonna be a professional athlete. I thought that was the way I was gonna go. And not really having a backup plan was how I was gonna spend my life. At the same time, I was seeing the great athletes and how hard they work.” He surely grasped the art of hard work and perseverance from there. 

The Grim Reaper continued, “That’s where I really learned the most. You see guys like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter hit home runs and make all these plays. But you don’t see how they put in three to four hours before every single game just working on the fundamentals. I think that’s what got me to where I’m at, just knowing I gotta put in the work to be where I want to beat at.” This work ethic has been a major contributor to Mahomes’ NFL journey. 

One thing that has always stood out to Mahomes is how much his dad made him practice hitting off a tee. But things changed when Mahomes Sr. joined the Rangers, he met Alex Rodriguez—an MVP—starting his day by hitting off a tee, focusing on the fundamentals. As Mahomes recalled, “That stuck with me forever. No matter how good you get, you always have to work on the basic fundamentals if you want to be great.” And we have seen how perfectly Mahomes passes the ball. Have you seen his touchdown pass from the divisional game against the Texans? Oh, it was beautiful! The way he managed to pass a TD throw even when his legs were held tight by the Texans‘ defender.

Patrick Mahomes will be starting in his fifth Super Bowl game. He has become the only quarterback under 30 in NFL history to start five Super Bowls. Let’s see if lessons from Alex Rodriguez can help guide Mahomes and the Chiefs to a three-peat.