White Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks was activated before the start of Monday's game against the Los Angeles Angels, and he pitched for the first time during the 2023 season -- a little more than six months after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Hendriks' return to the mound is the best story and the best news we have in a miserable season of Sox baseball. He came out of the bullpen to pitch the top of the eighth inning Monday, with the usual light show, and received a thunderous ovation from Sox fans, who chanted his name as he took the mound.
The Angels were leading 4-3 at the time, and to be honest, I didn't think it was an appropriate time to bring Hendriks into the game. It would be best to allow him to ease his way back, starting out in lower-leverage situations and working toward higher leverage -- if his stuff and results allow for it.
It's important that to remember that Hendriks has been through a helluva lot the past six months. He holds himself to a high standard, and I appreciate that, but I'm not expecting him to pitch like the All-Star he has been in the past. It's not realistic in my mind. There's no real blueprint for this.
Unfortunately, Hendriks labored in his return, allowing two runs. The Angels increased their lead to 6-3 and went on to beat the Sox, 6-4.
Hendriks through 27 pitches, 16 of them strikes. He allowed three hits and walked one. He did not record a strikeout.
Of the 27 pitches, 17 were fastballs. Hendriks' maximum velocity was 96.6 mph, with an average of 95.6 mph. By way of comparison, his fastball averaged 97.6 mph last season. He did generate four whiffs on 11 swings on the fastball -- not bad at all -- but only seven of those 17 fastballs were in the strike zone. The command isn't there yet.
Among the 10 sliders Hendriks threw, only two of them were in the zone. Those pitches produced three swings -- and two whiffs. My thinking as I watched the inning was that Angels batters could sit fastball, because Hendriks did not show that he could land a slider for a strike with any consistency.
None of this is surprising. It's going to take Hendriks a little more time, and that's why I wasn't thrilled with him being thrown into an important spot.
Then again, the Sox are 22-34. The season is already lost. Maybe the results don't matter at all. We should just be happy that Hendriks has regained his health.
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