Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendricks (34) heard news like a thunderbolt from the new year in 2023. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a malignant tumor resulting from malignant transformation of lymphoid tissue cells and is a type of blood cancer. Unlike Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the cure rate was low and the cancer had many recurrences, so it was a big shock in many ways. 스포츠토토
Hendricks, who announced this on his SNS on the 9th of last month (hereinafter Korean time), said, “I was shocked, but I will overcome cancer for the sake of his family and teammates. He is confident that he will recover quickly and return to the mound,” he reassured the people around him who were concerned.
A month and a half has passed since then. As promised, Hendricks’ commitment to overcoming cancer and playing baseball is amazing. He has already thrown the ball. On the 20th (Korean time), the MLB.com official website reported that Hendricks pitched in the bullpen on the 18th at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, USA where the White Sox spring training was set up. It is too early to mention the timing of his immediate return, but it is meaningful that he is not letting go of the ball even while fighting an illness.
White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz said, “I always care about Hendricks. On the 18th, he threw a ball from the bullpen. “Everybody in the clubhouse knows he’s special. It is a great joy just to see him, and it is wonderful just to be by his side.”
Hendricks played catch three days after starting chemotherapy with chemotherapy. White Sox teammate pitcher Joe Kelly said, “It’s very difficult to forget on the field an off-field problem, and Hendricks continues to hone. It looks great,” he said.
Another fellow pitcher, Lucas Giolito, said, “Hendricks is killing his illness right now with his cure. “It’s amazing to see how he stays in the same mood every day, even though he has a serious problem with cancer. It motivates us. I hope he will overcome cancer and come back to finish the game.”
Australian right-handed fastball pitcher Hendricks made his debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2011, worked for the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics, and has been with the White Sox since 2021. He recorded 31 wins, 34 losses, 115 saves, an earned run average of 3.81 and 724 strikeouts in 471 games (645 innings) in 12 major league seasons.
He played as a starter early in his career, but he fell short of expectations, and after switching to the bullpen in 2015, he established himself in the big leagues and was voted an All-Star three times. He has been a finisher in Oakland since 2019 with a top 100 mph (161 km) fastball, and from 2020 to 2021, he won the Mariano Rivera Award, given to the best finisher in the American League (AL) for two consecutive years.
Hendricks, who signed a free agency contract with the White Sox in January 2021 for a 3+1 year guarantee of $54 million, played in 69 games (71 innings), 8 wins, 3 losses, 38 saves, an average ERA of 2.54, and 113 strikeouts in the first year, ranking first in AL saves. Last year, he also closed the back door of the White Sox with 4 wins, 4 losses, 37 saves, an average ERA of 2.81 and 85 strikeouts in 58 games (57⅔ innings)