Liam Hendriks' wife opens up about baseball's key role in husband's comeback from cancer: "The last thing you feel is normal"

White Sox's Liam Hendriks is a fighter on and off the field. After being diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Liam successfully battled against cancer and returned to the major league. His first game for the season was on Monday night in Chicago.

Hendriks revealed in January that he was diagnosed with cancer and he immediately started receiving treatment. He was declared to be in remission and cancer-free in April, just a short while after finishing his chemotherapy. As part of his cancer recovery, Hendriks pitched the eighth inning on Monday night against the Los Angeles Angels.

“It was great being back out there. Getting back, putting cleats on, running out, doing all that," Hendriks said. "I felt good, I felt strong, I felt comfortable out there. Unfortunately for me, I just wasn’t able to get the two-strike pitch where I wanted to."

Liam's wife, Kristi, appreciates the role baseball played in her husband's life and gave credit to the sport for his recovery:

“When you are having all this poison pumped into your body, the last thing you feel is normal. It was great for him too to have the camaraderie with his teammates.

"He got to, you guys know Liam, he’s a goofy, random man. And he’s weird. He felt like he was part of his people again. I think that if he didn’t have baseball, his recovery would have been very different.”

Hendriks pitched one inning, during which two runs were scored on three hits and a walk. Results are obviously less important than the fact that Hendriks overcame cancer and returned to a major league pitching mound. As he attempts to regain his form, some difficulties can be anticipated.

A little history about Liam Hendriks

Hendriks, 34, is a three-time All-Star who placed eighth in the 2021 voting for the Cy Young Award and ninth in 2020. In both those years, he was named the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year. Liam completed 37 of his 41 save opportunities last season while pitching a 2.81 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 85 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings.

Liam Hendriks, White Sox reliever

Over the course of 12 seasons with Minnesota, Toronto, Kansas City, Oakland and Chicago, Liam Hendriks has 115 saves and a 3.81 ERA. In January 2021, he agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract with the White Sox. The contract is about to expire and they have the option to extend it until 2024.