An anecdote from Patrick Mahomes' friends reveals the QB's ambidextrous dominance dates back to high school
- According to Sports Illustrated's Robert Klemko, a group of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes' friends from his hometown of Tyler, Texas reminisces in a group chat while watching their high school teammate light up the NFL week after week.
- When they saw Mahomes used his non-dominant hand to connect with Tyreek Hill on third-and-7 against the Denver Broncos, the group chat exploded with callbacks to a little league baseball game from nine years ago.
- At 14 years old, the future first-round NFL draft pick called his home run to right field before he left the dugout. He also did it left-handed.
Patrick "Showtime" Mahomes has been absolutely electric for the Kansas City Chiefs this season. Fans have watched with amazement as the second-year quarterback narrowly avoids sacks and makes odds-defying completions time and time again, but even Mahomes' Chiefs teammates were absolutely awestruck by his left-handed toss for a crucial first down against the Denver Broncos Monday night.
"It showed how cold-blooded he is. He has ice in his veins," Kansas City linebacker Justin Houston told Sports Illustrated's Robert Klemko after the game. "To be that confident in your left hand, on the run, fourth quarter? You're a cold-blooded guy to do some s--- like that."
His childhood friends, on the other hand, weren't too surprised.
According to Klemko, a group of Mahomes' pals from his hometown of Tyler, Texas reminisces in a group chat while watching their high school teammate light up the NFL week after week. On that night when Mahomes used his non-dominant hand to connect with Tyreek Hill on third-and-7, the group chat exploded with callbacks to a little league baseball game from when they were 14 years old.
Mahomes' and his friends' all-star team was blowing out a cross-town rival and the future first-round NFL draft pick was due up to bat. Before leaving the dugout, Mahomes made an announcement to his teammates.
"We had a big lead like usual and he got up and said, 'I'm going to go up there left-handed and hit a home run,'" childhood friend Jake Parker told Klemko.
Mahomes sauntered up to the plate and dug his left foot into the dirt. On the second pitch, he smacked the ball over the right-field fence and trotted the bases. His teammates were shocked.
"He would mess around in the cage now and then but nobody expected him to hit a home run in a game," Parker said.
Nine years later, Mahomes' friends knew better than to question his abilities - no matter which hand he's using.
Check out his sensational left-handed throw here: