White Sox pitcher gets first win after returning from cancer battle

Liam Hendriks was the winning pitcher for the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon, and it could not have come on a more fitting and appropriate day for him.

Hendriks, who just recently returned to the White Sox roster after getting treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, got the win on National Cancer Survivor Day in the United States.

It was his first win since returning to the team.

Sunday was his third appearance this season and saw him pitch a perfect ninth inning where he struck out two Detroit Tigers hitters. That perfect inning of work set the stage for a walk off grand slam by Jake Burger to lift Hendriks and the White Sox to a 6-2 win.

Hendriks, an All-Star closer for the White Sox, revealed his diagnosis in January and immediately starting undergoing treatment.

He was finally able to return to the Major Leagues on Monday where he allowed two runs in one inning of relief against the Los Angeles Angels.

That outing was followed by a perfect inning on Saturday against the Tigers, and then Sunday's victorious performance. 

So far he has pitched three innings this season and struck out three batters, while also allowing the two earned runs. 

The 34-year-old has become one of the best relief pitchers in baseball and recorded 75 saves over the previous two seasons, including a league-leading 38 during the 2021 season. 

This is his third season with the White Sox.

Sunday's win was the third consecutive win for Chicago (and the fourth in their past five games) as it tries to dig itself out of a brutal start.