CHICAGO — Shortly after Liam Hendrix was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, All-Star took a more in-depth take a look at an ambitious goal.
He desired to return to the Chicago White Sox before the end of May.
He succeeded – with a number of days to spare.
Hendriks played the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night, marking one other memorable moment in his recovery from cancer.
“What he did and the way he did it was extraordinary,” said manager Pedro Grifol. “It’s an inspiration to everyone at this club, it’s an inspiration to everyone who follows the game and knows Liam.”
The gang of 23,599 roared as Hendriks took to the pitch after the fourth inning, a gaggle of fans holding up letters that read “TEAM LIAM”.
When he entered the eight pitch, running across the pitch as a part of his usual home light show, he was greeted with a standing ovation.
Hendriks stood behind the mound and took in the stage while the crowd cheered.
The Angels applauded as well, and Matt Thaiss waited before entering the batter’s box, giving Hendriks more time to understand the moment.
“It was great to be back there,” said Hendriks. “Coming back, putting on cleats, running, doing all that. I felt good, I felt strong, I felt comfortable there. Unfortunately for me, I just wasn’t capable of get the two-hit pitch where I wanted it.
The Angels scored two runs on Zach Neto’s official fly and Mike Trout’s RBI single, but the crowd continued to cheer as Hendriks made his solution to the dugout at the end of the round.
“There have been some positives from the purely baseball aspect, but there have been definitely some things that needed to be worked on,” Hendriks said after Lost Chicago 6:4.
Hendrix’s return was heralded throughout sport. Jameson Taillon and Trey Mancini of the Chicago Cubs – two more cancer patients – were amongst the players who texted Hendrix during the day, and the Toronto Blue Jays – considered one of the pitcher’s former teams – posted supporting video on Twitter.
Angels manager Phil Nevin tracked down the quirky right-hander to provide him his regards before the series began.
“It’s great to see him back. He’s been through loads. Wish him good luck in a number of days,” Nevin said smiling.
Hendriks has been brought back off the injured list for 15 days. One other pain reliever Jimmy Lambert was placed on a 15-day IL with right ankle inflammation.
Hendriks, 34, had no record and a ten.80 ERA in six rehab appearances with Triple-A Charlotte.
The Australian allowed one run and one hit in one inning in his last game against the Knights on May 16.
Hendriks could provide a giant boost for the Chicago team, which has struggled for most of the season.
The White Sox (22-34) were coming off a tricky streak in Detroit, losing their lead in the late hours of Saturday and Sunday, losing three of 4 against the Tigers.
Hendriks has 115 saves and a 3.81 ERA over 12 seasons in Minnesota, Toronto, Kansas City, Oakland and Chicago. He signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the White Sox in January 2021.
“It really shows his labor and dedication that we’re having this conversation even in May,” said CEO Rick Hahn. “After we got the initial forecast, I do not think anyone can be shocked if, in response to the stage 4 lymphoma diagnosis, we weren’t going to see a man on the pitch this yr. Or if we had initially announced, “Hey, he’ll probably be gone until All-Star break no less than,” I do not think anyone would bat an eyelid with such a timeline.
Hendriks led the American League with a career-high 38 saves in his first yr in Chicago.
He was third in the majors with 37 saves and made his third All-Star team in 2022, but noticed several lumps on his neck last summer.
He was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and underwent immunotherapy and chemotherapy. In April, he announced he was in remission.
Hendrix’s wife, Kristi, said baseball played a key role in his comeback.
“When all this poison is pumped into your body, the last item you are feeling is normal,” she said. “It was great for him to have camaraderie with his teammates. He needed to, you recognize Liam, he’s a goofy, random guy. And he’s weird. He felt like he was a part of his people again. I believe if he hadn’t had baseball, his recovery would have been very different.