Yan Gomes Opening Doors For Brazil
By Sinhue Mendoza
There’s a first time for everything. When Yan Gomes suited up for the Blue Jays in May of 2012, he didn’t know it at the time, but it was a historic moment for his country when he became the first Brazilian to play in Major League Baseball.
The Indians catcher now appreciates the significance of his debut with the Blue Jays.
“When I think of this hat. I think on what a surreal day it was,” Gomes said while holding a Blue Jays cap during a recent interview with La Vida Baseball. “It was super unexpected.
“And when I got there, I realized how much it meant, not just for me, for my family, but for a whole country. You know Brazilian flags were everywhere in Toronto. It was a really emotional day for my family and I.”
Gomes, who is called “Gomer” by his teammates, grew up for a part of his life in Brazil’s largest city São Paulo. A fateful trip to the grocery store is where this pioneer’s baseball story began. A Cuban baseball coach who was putting together a team asked Gomes’ father to bring his son out to the park for a tryout. The rest is history. Quite literally, May 17, 2012, is a date that will live in Brazilian baseball history..
“To this day I still don’t quite realize how much that meant to Brazil,” Gomes said. “I was running out to my position and, while I’m taking it all in, I look up to the second deck and there’s a big ‘Welcome Gomes’ sign with a Brazilian flag on it.
“It definitely took some ease off me and I was just excited to be there at the time. I kept looking around because when you’re in a moment like that you just try to take it all in. I was looking around, and there were Brazilian flags everywhere.”
Whether he chooses to recognize it, he is a pioneer for the sport in his country. Currently, there are only five Brazilian natives in the majors. He has already opened doors for players behind him and dared kids in his country to dream of a life in baseball.
That passion his countrymen showed him for Brazil that historic evening in Toronto is comparative to Brazil’s passion for soccer and especially for their national soccer team in the FIFA World Cup.
“Passion, we wear our hearts on our sleeve man,” he said. “It’s what you see is what you get, man. You’re going to see a lot of screaming, a lot of crying, a lot of crying over joy. I mean over winning. We Brazilians are very outspoken with everything too. You’re going to see a lot of that in the World Cup.”
Gomes’ passion for jogo bonito, as they call the Brazilian style of soccer, runs deep. He loves soccer so much, he considered naming his son Edson after Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, Pelé, the legendary Brazilian soccer player whom many consider the greatest soccer player of all time.
Brazil is one of the greatest soccer nations in the world.
Brazil has won five World Cup championships, the most ever. Several soccer legends who have worn the “verdeamarela” jersey are men whose names are synonymous with soccer greatness. It’s no surprise that Brazil is usually a favorite to win the tournament.
Knowing that they can hoist the trophy again provides a certain confidence for Brazilians.
“It’s going to be a tough World Cup, but Brazil has that extra edge on them,” he said. “They got that passion. Soccer is everything we have and everyone knows that when you talk about something that every four years someone looks forward to.
“We shut down and this is what we do. Whenever the games are played, whether we have to watch them at 4 a.m. or midday we shut down and sit down and watch them passionately.”
So as the Brazilian national team looks to meet the expectations of winning the World Cup again, Gomes looks to continue to set new hopes and dreams for his countrymen in another sport, baseball.
Featured Image: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images Sport