Liam Hendriks is back. After braving cancer and the resulting chemotherapy, the Chicago White Sox closer announced his return to MLB. The whole process took less than 6 months and fans have been in awe of the player. Back in January, Hendriks declared to the team manager that he would make it back in two months if he was put on the 60-day IL. Unsurprisingly, his tenacity held him through the tough time.

A story like this is enough to make anyone emotional. While baseball fans have witnessed many joyful as well as heartbreaking stories over the years, Hendriks’ is something special. It was clear in the way fans took to social media to express their relief and excitement.

Baseball fans are happy to see Liam Hendriks back in action

When Hendriks was announced on the field, fas greeted him with chants of “Liam! Liam!” It was as if the crowds were welcoming home a long-lost soldier after a tough battle. It’s exactly what the last few months have been like for the Australian player.

A generally beloved personality, players from his old teams also congratulated Hendriks and so did fans. MLB’s official Instagram page posted a series of sweet pictures of the pitcher and his wife Kristi. The caption read, “What a moment for the Hendriks Family! Welcome back, @Hendriks_31! 💚”. The Chicago White Sox commented with a green heart emoji as well as an explosion emoji.

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One fan pointed out how Atlanta Braves pitcher Michael Soroka also came back on the same day after missing the last few seasons because of an Achilles heel injury. “soroka and hendriks coming back on the same day, great day for baseball”.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt wrote, “Nothing but happiness for y’all”. Fans commented, “Such a W man. Super happy for Liam Hendriks. No one should go through this. Hope he had a wonderful career after this and a peaceful retirement 🙏”,  and “Well Done 31, Well done 💪🏾”.

What did Hendriks’ team have to say?

Needless to point out, Hendriks was received like the champ he is. “Again, this is bigger than baseball, right?” team manager Pedro Grifol told MLB.com. “This is about life and the diagnosis and the comeback and how he did it. And how good he was prior to [it] and how good he’s going to be afterward.”

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General manager Rick Hahn also had words of praise, “Liam is one of those special players [who] has the ability to connect with fans even if they never met him.” While some may have been worried about his return, his team is confident that Hendriks can go back to how he used to pitch one day!