Pat Mahomes Sr. took a moment this week to celebrate a close friend’s personal achievement-one that had nothing to do with a fastball or a box score.
The former MLB pitcher and father of Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes posted a touching message on Instagram congratulating his former Minnesota Twins teammate LaTroy Hawkins for graduating college at age 52.
“Congrats to my man. Love you, Dad. Super Proud,” Mahomes Sr. wrote alongside a photo of Hawkins in graduation attire. Hawkins, who spent 21 seasons in Major League Baseball, recently earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Southern New Hampshire University, completing his coursework online.
Hawkins‘ accomplishment resonated deeply with Mahomes, who shared a clubhouse with him in Minnesota from 1995 to 1996. The bond they forged during those two seasons has clearly endured, with Mahomes expressing genuine pride over his friend’s academic achievement decades later.
According to a Reddit thread, Hawkins decided to return to school years after his baseball career ended.
For someone who spent more than two decades in the majors-starting with the Twins in 1995 and retiring in 2015-the return to education is a powerful example of lifelong learning. Mahomes Sr. spent time in Minnesota from 1992 to 1996 before bouncing to several other teams, including the Texas Rangers, where he played briefly in 2001.
As Mahomes Sr. celebrates a friend, his former team faces offensive woes
While Mahomes Sr. took to social media to uplift his former teammate, the franchise he once played for-the Texas Rangers-is going through turbulence of a different kind. The defending World Series champions are stumbling through the early weeks of the 2025 MLB season, struggling to generate offense and sitting fourth in the American League West with a 17-18 record.
Sports analyst David Sampson recently summed up the situation with a stinging observation: “When you have got 11 quality starts and a 6-4 record, it is not a good sign.” Despite reliable efforts from their rotation, the Rangers are failing to score runs at a consistent pace.
Per Yahoo Sports, the Rangers hold a team batting average of .228, ranking as the sixth-worst in all of MLB. Their production in key categories like runs and RBIs is also among the league’s worst, besting only the Colorado Rockies.
In response, the team announced a major change by parting ways with offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker. While the move suggests urgency, questions remain about whether Ecker was the real issue or merely a scapegoat for a broader systemic problem.
As the Rangers prepare to name a new offensive leader, the spotlight will remain on sluggers like Marcus Semien and Adolis García to step up and reverse the club’s trajectory. Fans, still reeling from the underwhelming start, are hoping a fresh voice in the dugout can rekindle the fire that made them champions just a season ago.
Meanwhile, Pat Mahomes Sr. continues to show support for his peers in and outside of baseball. Whether it’s cheering on his son Graham Walker‘s path to the NFL, or celebrating LaTroy Hawkins‘ return to the classroom, the elder Mahomes proves that success comes in many forms-and it’s never too late to write a new chapter.
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