Liam Hendricks (33, Chicago White Sox), who overcame blood cancer and returned to the mound, won a victory on National Cancer Survivors Day.
Hendricks took the mound in the top of the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers in the 2023 American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB) home game held at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA on the 4th (local time), 2-2, and pitched 1 inning with no hits and no runs. 2 strikeouts perfectly blocked it.
The highest fastball speed was 156 km/h.
The White Sox won the game, 6-2, with Jake Berger’s slam home run in the bottom of the ninth.
Hendricks won in three games after returning.
Closer Hendricks’ individual career record in the major leagues is 32 wins, 34 losses, 115 saves and 42 holds, and an ERA of 3.82.
Coincidentally, his first victory after overcoming cancer and his 32nd victory in his personal career was won on Cancer Survivor’s Day in America.
American Cancer Survivor’s Day is an anniversary that was established on the first Sunday of June to deliver a message of hope that ‘even after a cancer diagnosis, you can recover your daily life’.
MLB.com said, “Hendricks was deeply moved on a special day.”
“I’m going to keep moving forward,” Hendricks said. “I hope to be a force for others who are fighting cancer, while throwing it like I used to on the field.”
Teammate Michael Kopek congratulated him, saying, “After Hendricks struck out, he threw his fists and cheered. Hendricks showed what we expected.”
Hendricks was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in January of this year.
Hendricks, who was cured after more than three months of chemotherapy, returned to the big leagues on the 30th of last month in Korean time and climbed the mound.메이저놀이터
In his first appearance after his return, he was sluggish with 3 hits and 2 runs in 1 inning, but in both subsequent games, he pitched 1 inning with no hits and no runs.
Hendricks is recovering from cancer and coming back as a top closer. On Cancer Survivor’s Day, he proved it by throwing a fast ball at 156 km/h.