Super Bowl QB used to run around Cashman Field: ‘It’s really cool’

Steve Dwyer remembers him running around Cashman Field, shagging fly balls during batting practice, having a game of catch with his father.

He was 10-year-old Patrick Mahomes.

Before he was all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Kansas City Chiefs star — who will lead his team against the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11 — spent part of the summer here in 2005 while his father pitched for the then-Las Vegas 51s.

Pat Mahomes was nearing the end of his baseball career, having already played 11 seasons in the major leagues. He went 9-9 over 40 games with the 51s, who were then affiliated with the Dodgers. Mahomes’ earned-run average in 133 innings was 5.35.

“The kids who come through with their fathers tend to be athletic,” said Dwyer, then a visiting clubhouse manager and now the Aviators’ director of team operations. “Now, they gravitate towards the PlayStation or sit with their dads at the locker on their phones.

“Patrick wasn’t like that. This was before the days when they all had cell phones. He was running around when he was here. When you’re late in a career like his father was, the kids and families try and make the most out of such opportunities.”

This is how Dwyer sees things: When you’re in your mid-30s and don’t have much time left in the game — no matter how hungry you are to make it back to the majors — you become as much a veteran voice as a player. Pat Mahomes was likely just that. He had pitched for six different major league teams from 1992 to 2003.

“Las Vegas is a hard place to pitch, and Cashman was no joke,” Dwyer said. “But for the most part, a veteran like him is teaching all the up-and-coming kids how to be a pitcher. When you have a veteran like that, they tend to lead by example.

“With as much experience as he had and at that point in his career, you can imagine that was Pat’s role.”

Las Vegas Ballpark hosted practices when the Pro Bowl was played at Allegiant Stadium in 2022. Patrick Mahomes was a quarterback for the AFC side and his father was in the stands watching.

“I didn’t get to talk to Pat, but got to talk with Patrick about his time here during that (2005 summer),” Dwyer said. “He remembered being at Cashman. When they see Las Vegas Ballpark and compare the two, it’s a pretty eye-opening experience. It’s really cool.

“It’s pretty awesome seeing all that he has become. Pretty amazing seeing him come back after all those years with the success he has had.”

All those years after running around, shagging balls, having a catch.

Contact sports columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.