University of Tennessee Athletics
"It's Never Too Far Away" | VFL Yan Gomes Captures Baseball's Most Coveted Prize
November 19, 2019 | Baseball
By Dom Palumbo, UTsports.com
Its game seven.
The stadium is buzzing.
The opposing team is down to its final strike.
Your pitcher is dealing, in the game's final stanza.
You give him the sign. He throws a perfect slider in the dirt. The batter bites, takes a home run swing and misses.
Pandemonium.
You have won the World Series.
For Washington Nationals catcher and VFL Yan Gomes, this was his reality a few short weeks ago, when the Nationals took down the Houston Astros in seven games to bring home baseball's ultimate prize.
"I just remember starting the ninth inning being up four runs against the Astros. Even in that situation, you never think the game is done. But, they started taking every first pitch," Gomes said. "It looked like they were just taking until we got ahead, and when I saw that happening, along with (Daniel) Hudson being extremely composed and filling up the zone, it dawned on me that we're really going to do this. They're letting us get ahead right now, they're not going crazy and putting pressure on us.'
"Hudson doesn't usually go to his slider deep in a count, instead, he'll go to it early on, but in this situation, he went to it on a full count, we got him to take a swing on it and that's when all of the weight just comes off your shoulders. You just want to run to your teammates and celebrate and scream. There were a lot of, 'Oh my gosh… I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe this is really true,' and you're just trying to take it in as much as you can."
It was a moment that capped off one of the largest single-season turnarounds in Major League history.
In the middle of May, the Nationals were sitting at 19-31. They were in fourth in the NL East standings and sat in 14th out of 15 National League squads.
Then, something changed. The mentality of a group of 25 men shifted completely. They started to enjoy each other's presence. They began to put the focus on enjoying the game they get paid to play each and every day.
"Everyone talks about us being 19-31," Gomes said. "But I think the turning point was a meeting we had with ourselves where we just told each other, 'We just need to have some fun. We need to enjoy ourselves and if not, there's going to be a fire sale here, everyone is going to be gone and we're not going to be able to experience any of the things we thought we were going to experience.' That's when we just started letting our guards down. You started seeing us do all of those crazy dances in the dugout. I'm sure looking in from the outside, everyone was saying that it was bush league, but it wasn't—it really wasn't. There was a whole lot more celebrating and dancing in the clubhouse that people didn't know about."
From there, the story has been watched, told and described. It was a moment Nationals fans will cherish forever. It was a moment that encapsulated everything a team had gone through for eight months. It's a moment Yan Gomes will never forget.
It was also a moment that culminated the life and career of a player who grew up in a country where America's pastime is somewhat of a foreign concept.
Gomes, a native of Brazil, grew up playing baseball instead of the country's national sport, soccer.
When he was 12, his family made the decision to live out the American Dream and move to Miami, Florida. His dad, a tennis player, and his mom, a swim instructor, both found work immediately, and the family's stability allowed Gomes to continue playing and growing into the game he loved.
He was in a new place, with a new language, where he didn't need a translator to create friendships.
Instead, he allowed his bat to do the talking.
"It was extremely difficult at first," Gomes said. "Because, I think the only word I knew how to say in English was 'Hi.' What I'm thankful for is that I started playing baseball in Brazil, and because of baseball, I met a lot of friends whom I'm still close with. Baseball and sports are what helped me get through that awkward time when I didn't speak a lot of English. It allowed me to let my bat do the talking, and I was able to gain a lot of friends through baseball who I'm still very close with."
Even, after he learned English, his bat continued to lead the conversation.
As he progressed through high school, college programs across the country were looking to bring Gomes in.
However, one school in particular grabbed his attention.
"When I was in high school, I don't think I understood what making it to the majors or even college baseball was like. I cheered for Miami growing up, because that was the team in town. Yet, when I started getting college letters, one came from Tennessee, where a couple of guys who I had played against in high school were already on the team. Coach Rod Delmonico came by my high school, told me they were interested in me and they wanted me to come on a visit. There was nothing like it. I couldn't even tell you what came to my head. Knoxville is so different. All the people here are some of the nicest people in the world. Then, when I got to go to a football game, I had a blast and that was when I had to decide. I saw how much I enjoyed going there and I said, 'Why not?' Let's give myself a chance to go somewhere out of town."
So, he packed his bags and made Rocky Top his new home.
In two seasons as a member of the Orange & White, Gomes put together an impressive .312 batting average, slugging 13 home runs and 33 extra-base hits while providing a steady presence behind the plate for the Vols.
After two incredible seasons on the field, a few hardships that came off it forced Gomes to make the difficult decision to transfer away from the place he had fallen in love with.
That move took him back to Miami, to Division II Barry University, for one final shot at making playing ball his livelihood.
"I saw that move almost as my last chance. Either I lock it in or I'm out, and this could be it for baseball. It was a time where I needed to mature. I needed to figure out if this is what I wanted. I had to work hard, and I ended up having a very good year there and getting a chance."
In one season with the Bucs, Gomes hit an impressive .405, with 90 hits, 21 homers and 39 extra-base hits while raking in 92 RBIs.
He was deemed a Division II All-American by every major news outlet and voting committee.
Then, in the 10th round of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays called his name.
Three years later, in 2012, Gomes made his Major League debut, becoming the first Brazilian born baseball player to appear in an MLB contest.
His big-league debut stands as a day that allowed him to become a baseball idol for kids back home in São Paulo. An idol he never had.
"I still don't think I will ever let it sink in, and I don't think I will ever truly comprehend how I am the first Brazilian-born guy to play in the Major Leagues," Gomes said. "But, getting to hear all of these athletes and people starting to talk about baseball back there now is incredible. For me, the goal—and hopefully me winning the World Series this year helps—is to continue the message of, no matter where you're born or where you're from, it's never too far away. As long as you work hard, that chance will come.
"It's a weird thing to put into words, but if I'm a guy that those kids can idolize or look up to, I'm all for it and I'm excited for that."
In the early stages of his career, Gomes bounced between the Majors and the Minors, before becoming a more regular starter with the Indians in 2016.
That season, Gomes came incredibly close to winning it all. But in the World Series, the Indians fell in seven games to the Chicago Cubs.
Heartbreak.
After two more solid campaigns with the Indians, Gomes was traded to the Nationals before the 2019 season.
It became a year in which he earned his own bit of redemption, to make up for what he came so close to achieving just three years prior.
As the confetti settled following a parade through downtown Washington, D.C., Gomes returned home.
Home to Rocky Top—the place that he, his wife and two kids now reside. Now back home in Knoxville, he can rest and reflect on the whirlwind of the past season.
"The adversity that this team faced, how close this team became and how much fun we were having is what made this team so special," Gomes recalled. "It was a special group from the get-go. That team exemplified everything that you talk about when winning a championship. There was no eyewash and there was no BS on that team. If things needed to be said, they were said. If we needed a spark to have some fun, we would play Baby Shark. It was unbelievable, the things that were going on in that clubhouse. It was really because of the 25 guys that came together in that clubhouse. This team came together, and we overcame so many obstacles."
In doing so, Gomes and his teammates emerged as World Champions.
Â
Its game seven.
The stadium is buzzing.
The opposing team is down to its final strike.
Your pitcher is dealing, in the game's final stanza.
You give him the sign. He throws a perfect slider in the dirt. The batter bites, takes a home run swing and misses.
Pandemonium.
You have won the World Series.
For Washington Nationals catcher and VFL Yan Gomes, this was his reality a few short weeks ago, when the Nationals took down the Houston Astros in seven games to bring home baseball's ultimate prize.
"I just remember starting the ninth inning being up four runs against the Astros. Even in that situation, you never think the game is done. But, they started taking every first pitch," Gomes said. "It looked like they were just taking until we got ahead, and when I saw that happening, along with (Daniel) Hudson being extremely composed and filling up the zone, it dawned on me that we're really going to do this. They're letting us get ahead right now, they're not going crazy and putting pressure on us.'
"Hudson doesn't usually go to his slider deep in a count, instead, he'll go to it early on, but in this situation, he went to it on a full count, we got him to take a swing on it and that's when all of the weight just comes off your shoulders. You just want to run to your teammates and celebrate and scream. There were a lot of, 'Oh my gosh… I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe this is really true,' and you're just trying to take it in as much as you can."
It was a moment that capped off one of the largest single-season turnarounds in Major League history.
In the middle of May, the Nationals were sitting at 19-31. They were in fourth in the NL East standings and sat in 14th out of 15 National League squads.
Then, something changed. The mentality of a group of 25 men shifted completely. They started to enjoy each other's presence. They began to put the focus on enjoying the game they get paid to play each and every day.
"Everyone talks about us being 19-31," Gomes said. "But I think the turning point was a meeting we had with ourselves where we just told each other, 'We just need to have some fun. We need to enjoy ourselves and if not, there's going to be a fire sale here, everyone is going to be gone and we're not going to be able to experience any of the things we thought we were going to experience.' That's when we just started letting our guards down. You started seeing us do all of those crazy dances in the dugout. I'm sure looking in from the outside, everyone was saying that it was bush league, but it wasn't—it really wasn't. There was a whole lot more celebrating and dancing in the clubhouse that people didn't know about."
From there, the story has been watched, told and described. It was a moment Nationals fans will cherish forever. It was a moment that encapsulated everything a team had gone through for eight months. It's a moment Yan Gomes will never forget.
It was also a moment that culminated the life and career of a player who grew up in a country where America's pastime is somewhat of a foreign concept.
Gomes, a native of Brazil, grew up playing baseball instead of the country's national sport, soccer.
When he was 12, his family made the decision to live out the American Dream and move to Miami, Florida. His dad, a tennis player, and his mom, a swim instructor, both found work immediately, and the family's stability allowed Gomes to continue playing and growing into the game he loved.
He was in a new place, with a new language, where he didn't need a translator to create friendships.
Instead, he allowed his bat to do the talking.
"It was extremely difficult at first," Gomes said. "Because, I think the only word I knew how to say in English was 'Hi.' What I'm thankful for is that I started playing baseball in Brazil, and because of baseball, I met a lot of friends whom I'm still close with. Baseball and sports are what helped me get through that awkward time when I didn't speak a lot of English. It allowed me to let my bat do the talking, and I was able to gain a lot of friends through baseball who I'm still very close with."
Even, after he learned English, his bat continued to lead the conversation.
As he progressed through high school, college programs across the country were looking to bring Gomes in.
However, one school in particular grabbed his attention.
"When I was in high school, I don't think I understood what making it to the majors or even college baseball was like. I cheered for Miami growing up, because that was the team in town. Yet, when I started getting college letters, one came from Tennessee, where a couple of guys who I had played against in high school were already on the team. Coach Rod Delmonico came by my high school, told me they were interested in me and they wanted me to come on a visit. There was nothing like it. I couldn't even tell you what came to my head. Knoxville is so different. All the people here are some of the nicest people in the world. Then, when I got to go to a football game, I had a blast and that was when I had to decide. I saw how much I enjoyed going there and I said, 'Why not?' Let's give myself a chance to go somewhere out of town."
So, he packed his bags and made Rocky Top his new home.
In two seasons as a member of the Orange & White, Gomes put together an impressive .312 batting average, slugging 13 home runs and 33 extra-base hits while providing a steady presence behind the plate for the Vols.
After two incredible seasons on the field, a few hardships that came off it forced Gomes to make the difficult decision to transfer away from the place he had fallen in love with.
That move took him back to Miami, to Division II Barry University, for one final shot at making playing ball his livelihood.
"I saw that move almost as my last chance. Either I lock it in or I'm out, and this could be it for baseball. It was a time where I needed to mature. I needed to figure out if this is what I wanted. I had to work hard, and I ended up having a very good year there and getting a chance."
In one season with the Bucs, Gomes hit an impressive .405, with 90 hits, 21 homers and 39 extra-base hits while raking in 92 RBIs.
He was deemed a Division II All-American by every major news outlet and voting committee.
Then, in the 10th round of the 2009 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays called his name.
Three years later, in 2012, Gomes made his Major League debut, becoming the first Brazilian born baseball player to appear in an MLB contest.
His big-league debut stands as a day that allowed him to become a baseball idol for kids back home in São Paulo. An idol he never had.
"I still don't think I will ever let it sink in, and I don't think I will ever truly comprehend how I am the first Brazilian-born guy to play in the Major Leagues," Gomes said. "But, getting to hear all of these athletes and people starting to talk about baseball back there now is incredible. For me, the goal—and hopefully me winning the World Series this year helps—is to continue the message of, no matter where you're born or where you're from, it's never too far away. As long as you work hard, that chance will come.
"It's a weird thing to put into words, but if I'm a guy that those kids can idolize or look up to, I'm all for it and I'm excited for that."
In the early stages of his career, Gomes bounced between the Majors and the Minors, before becoming a more regular starter with the Indians in 2016.
That season, Gomes came incredibly close to winning it all. But in the World Series, the Indians fell in seven games to the Chicago Cubs.
Heartbreak.
After two more solid campaigns with the Indians, Gomes was traded to the Nationals before the 2019 season.
It became a year in which he earned his own bit of redemption, to make up for what he came so close to achieving just three years prior.
As the confetti settled following a parade through downtown Washington, D.C., Gomes returned home.
Home to Rocky Top—the place that he, his wife and two kids now reside. Now back home in Knoxville, he can rest and reflect on the whirlwind of the past season.
"The adversity that this team faced, how close this team became and how much fun we were having is what made this team so special," Gomes recalled. "It was a special group from the get-go. That team exemplified everything that you talk about when winning a championship. There was no eyewash and there was no BS on that team. If things needed to be said, they were said. If we needed a spark to have some fun, we would play Baby Shark. It was unbelievable, the things that were going on in that clubhouse. It was really because of the 25 guys that came together in that clubhouse. This team came together, and we overcame so many obstacles."
In doing so, Gomes and his teammates emerged as World Champions.
Â
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