Liam Hendriks Returns To A Big League Mound 5 Months After Getting Diagnosed With Cancer

Hot damn, what an awesome moment. I was at the game last night SOLELY to see Hendriks return. I assure you it was not to watch the rest of the team because those guys piss me off. Over the last few years, Hendriks has been one of the few reasons people have enjoyed being a Sox fan. Dude's a machine on the mound and a total bad ass off it. 

First, let's rewind it to the last week of March. Myself, Ed and Chief went out to Scottsdale to interview a bunch of dudes - Giolito, Joe Kelly and a few others - for the Mid Show. Both on and off the record, Giolito and Kelly were talking about how Hendriks was going through full-ish workouts the entire time he was undergoing his chemo treatments. 

I could tell by the tone of their voice they were like... stunned (if that's the right word?) at what an animal he is and was through his whole health ordeal. They also said Liam said he'd be back by the end of May. 

All I could think of was "wtf? No way. I really hope so, but no way." 

Dude wasn't kidding though. ZERO fucking around. Nobody on earth expected him to pitch this year after originally learning about the diagnosis in December or whatever it was. Well, we were wrong. Fast forward to yesterday, May 29th, and Liam Hendriks returned to the mound only about 5 or so months after his non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma diagnosis. So yeah, the dude's a psychopathic lunatic hellbent on beating everything in his path. That's why we love him in Chicago. 

Sox Park was BUZZING last night for his return, too, and there was nobody cheering louder than Liam's wife:

It really should have been a perfect night capped off with a W after Hendriks shut the door with his patented psychopathic fist pump:

But it wasn't because the White Sox lost. That's just what they do, lose a lot. 

Now, typically I wouldn't give a shit about Ws or Ls when it comes to a story like this, but anyone who's ever seen Hendriks pitch knows how insanely competitive he is. Yes, yesterday was a "some things are bigger than sports" moment, but anyone who knows Hendriks even a little bit through his media appearances and watching him on the mound knows he wanted that dub so, so badly. Everyone on earth knows it, and it pains me the Sox didn't get it for him. 

It's honestly enraging, but also par for the course. They don't do anything right. 

We'll see. Love Liam and hope he finishes his career in Chicago. He'll prolly get dealt at the deadline though because the White Sox lose too many baseball games. Sucks they didn't put a better roster around him. It'll be awesome watching him drag his nuts across hitters until that day comes though.

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