On Saturday, the Chicago White Sox will play Game 5 of their ALDS series with the Cleveland Guardians in Ohio.
The series is tied up at 2-2, so whoever wins will advance to the ALCS (and play the Tampa Bay Rays).
Ex-Chicago White Sox All-Star Retires With $62 Million
Last month, a former Chicago White Sox star announced his retirement from baseball.
Liam Hendriks (who made $62.4 million according to Spotrac), has called it quits in an Instagram post.
He wrote (on September 29) “To the cities that adopted me, the fans that cheered for me, my family, and every umpire who definitely missed a strike call on the corner: After years of staring down hitters, I have decided to officially retire from Major League Baseball. My arm has told me in no uncertain terms that it has exactly zero fastballs left in it, and my elbow has made it clear that throwing anything harder than a light breeze now requires a three-day recovery window. To the hitters who let me strike them out: Thank you for the memories (and the stats). To the hitters who launched my pitches into orbit: Thank you for helping me practice my “stare blankly at the sky while turning around on the mound” face. I will deeply miss the rush of coming out of the bullpen to close out a game in the ninth inning. I will not, however, miss sitting in a pitch-black video room watching endless tape of opposing hitters, getting my arm scraped raw by the athletic trainer every week, or the existential dread of facing Aaron Judge or Salvy Perez—who I am completely convinced treat my heater like a light afternoon snack. I owe a massive debt of gratitude to my agent, a true miracle worker. It takes a serious talent to look a GM in the eye and convince them that my unhinged, on-mound screaming while sealing a win was just “elite leadership” worth an insane contract. And a huge thank you to my wife for always believing in me, which was honestly a terrifying display of delusion on her part. Sticking by me through consecutive outings where I couldn’t stop bouncing pitches into the dirt proves you either have unwavering faith, or you just really like the stadium chicken tenders. As for what’s next: My immediate retirement plans include testing whether my elbow can survive holding onto the leash when my dog sees a rabbit, and choosing a new hobby where being single-handedly responsible for losing a game doesn’t lead to ESPN SportsCenter breaking down my psychological collapse in slow motion for the next 24 hours. Thanks for the ride. It’s been an absolute blast.🚀”
Looking At Hendriks
Hendriks (who is 37) spent 14 seasons at the MLB level.
He made two All-Star Games with the White Sox (and one with the Athletics).
In addition to those two teams, Hendriks also spent time with the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox.
Ex-Chicago White Sox All-Star Retires With $62 Million In Earnings