{"id":92369,"date":"2018-11-26T07:13:20","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T12:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=92369"},"modified":"2018-11-28T17:52:28","modified_gmt":"2018-11-28T22:52:28","slug":"ucf-grad-now-world-series-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-grad-now-world-series-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"This UCF Grad Is Now a World Series Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Chris Sale pitched the final out of this year\u2019s World Series in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the first person Kiyoshi Momose \u201900MS<\/strong> hugged in the Red Sox dugout was fellow Boston strength and conditioning coach Mike Roose.<\/p>\n

Then came the hugs for the medical staff. Then the coaching staff. And then, in a blur, he was on the field.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been four weeks since the Red Sox won their ninth World Series title, and the realization is finally starting to hit the UCF sports and exercise science<\/a> alumnus.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the beginning of spring training, as a team we talked about where we needed to finish this season. It was in players\u2019 minds, coaches\u2019 minds and medical staff\u2019s minds all the time. We believed we were going to do it, but it took me a while for it to sink in and understand really what we did,\u201d says Momose, who joined Boston\u2019s staff in 2015 and has served nearly 20 years in Major League Baseball as a strength and conditioning coach.<\/p>\n

From Japan to UCF to the MLB<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Momose found his way to UCF through his cousin, who was attending the university at the time. A native of Nagano, Japan, Momose was a catcher for the baseball team at Nippon Sports Science University but says an injury cut his career short. He stayed with the team as a student coach and grew an interest in strength training.<\/p>\n

When he arrived at UCF in 1998, he says his goal was to complete his degree within two years, get certified in the field and then return to Japan, thinking a career in the MLB was a longshot.<\/p>\n

“I didn\u2019t think I would ever become a world champion, but the dream was to get there someday.\u201d \u2014 Kiyoshi Momose<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It would take a steadfast work ethic and determination to complete his goal \u2014 he struggled to speak and understand English, so he recorded all of his lectures and listened to them at least twice so he could fully comprehend the lessons.<\/p>\n

He landed a graduate assistant position in the UCF Athletics Department, where he met Matt Krause \u201999<\/a>,<\/strong> who was a strength and conditioning coach for the Knights and took on Momose as his mentee. He credits his relationship with Krause \u2014 who is now the strength and conditioning coach for the New York Yankees \u2014 as the reason he\u2019s in the MLB today. The two keep in touch frequently to this day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love baseball so much and that\u2019s the only sport I wanted to get involved with,\u201d he says. \u201cBack then, I didn\u2019t think I would ever become a world champion, but the dream was to get there someday.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the days that followed the Red Sox\u2019s title, Boston held a parade for its beloved champions. Momose says he was overwhelmed by the number of people who lined the streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just amazing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Despite being just a month removed from the season, Momose says he\u2019s way behind on work for next year. He has offseason workout plans to make for the players. He doesn\u2019t even want to think about spring training, but he knows he must.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext year, we\u2019re going to do the same thing (win the World Series). That\u2019s what everybody has in mind,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s not a goal. That\u2019s a to-do.\u201d<\/p>\n