Red Sox: 2013 champion Jonny Gomes is heading to Japan
By Tyler Mason
Former fan favorite, Jonny Gomes is taking his talents to Japan where he is going to continue his career player for the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Earlier this week it was announced that one of my favorite players from the 2013 championship winning Boston Red Sox won’t be playing in the United States this season. However, he will “representing” the United States this year. Jonny Gomes wrote in an article on the Player’s Tribute that he has decided to move on from Major League Baseball and take his talents to Japan, where he will be playing for the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Back in 2013, it was pretty tough to hate the guy as a Sox fan. After the tragic Boston Marathon bombing, Gomes was one of the players who represented this city when they needed something to smile about. Before the 2013 season began, no one had the Red Sox being contenders. The names on the roster were nothing special and sportswriters were saying they were going to have yet another last place finish in the AL East when the season comes to a end.
But players like Gomes know a thing or two about chemistry. No one thought he and other “dirt dogs” like Mike Napoli, Daniel Nava, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, or David Ross were going to being major contributors to this team. But with the chemistry in the locker room not even being comparable to any other ball club, no one could stop them.
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Gomes had my heart from day 1. One reason is because I am a big fan of “grinding” out a win in baseball. Whether it’s a sac bunt to move a runner into scoring position, taking out the shortstop or second basemen to prevent a double play, or battling back one run at a time like that team did night in and night out, Gomes had the mentality that the opposing team would have to give it their all to defeat the 2013 Boston Red Sox. That mentality right there won him and the other 24 guys on the roster a World Series championship.
In the article where Gomes revealed his decision to play in Japan he talks about how he has enjoyed being a “journeyman” throughout his career in Major League baseball.
"“People think that bouncing around from team to team in MLB is a bad thing, but I’ve loved it,” explains Gomes. “I’ve gotten to experience different cities and learn from different people and pad my baseball passport.”"
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He also talked about how he once played Winter Ball in Mexico and how the atmosphere of winning was so much different and the passion about the sport was electrifying. Gomes has a résumé of winning to say the least.
"“I’d won a junior college title. I’d won a Triple-A title. I’d won an Arizona Fall League title. But this was different,” writes Gomes. “Because, for the first time, I realized, Wow. Winning is worldwide. It was just a very different feeling.”"
This is why Gomes is heading to Japan. He wants to experience what the taste of winning is like from across the world. As if you didn’t know, Gomes, like always, will be going 100% with anything he does on the baseball field. He wants to experience the lifestyle in Japan and also bring his patriotic self to his new team.
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The Rakuten Golden Eagles just picked up a player that may not put up the best numbers, but definitely make the team come together and make themselves contenders just off their great chemistry.