White Sox's Liam Hendriks Says He May Have Pitched with Cancer Last Season

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks, who is currently in remission after being diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma last December, told reporters Wednesday that he believes he pitched with cancer last season.

"There's a damn well chance I pitched all of last year with lymphoma in my system," he said Wednesday.

"I'd like to think that was the reason I struggled to recover at the end of the year. I was damn well limping to the finish line."

Hendriks still finished last season with 37 saves and a 2.81 ERA. He also posted 10 straight scoreless appearances to end his season.

Hendriks began chemotherapy treatments in January, but he was throwing bullpen sessions at the team's spring facility one month later.

"I never looked at it as a 'why me thing?'" Hendriks said. "I looked at it as 'why not me?' I tend to have a more rosy perspective on life than [the general population], so that was my process behind it. 'I've got this. This is my next challenge.'"

Hendriks' final cancer treatment occurred on April 3.

"Knowing that that was my last treatment was a huge bonus," Hendriks said. "I think that would have been much harder not having an end date."

The 34-year-old is a three-time All-Star and two-time Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year.