On Tuesday, right-hander Liam Hendriks announced his retirement after 14 seasons in the big leagues.
Hendriks spent two different stints with the Blue Jays during his career that spanned 2011-2025. Originally signed by the Minnesota Twins as a free agent on February 25, 2007, Hendriks ended up making his MLB debut on September 6, 2011.
The reliever went on to spend the first three seasons of his career with the Twins before being designated for assignment and bouncing between organizations. After finding himself in the Baltimore Orioles organization and once again DFA’d, the Blue Jays claimed the righty on February 21, 2014 off waivers.
Hendriks got into three games with the Blue Jays during the 2014 season and went 1-2 with a 6.08 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Hendriks struck out eight batters across 13.1 innings pitched before being traded to the Kansas City Royals along with Erik Kratz in exchange for Danny Valencia.
After closing out 2014 with the Royals, Hendriks was once again DFA’d, and the Blue Jays stepped in and brought him back to Toronto in exchange for catcher Santiago Nessy. The 2015 season was the beginning of the Hendriks that many fans remember.
After being moved full-time to the Blue Jays bullpen, Hendriks made 58 appearances and went 5-0 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Hendriks struck out 71 batters across 64.2 innings and held opponents to a .240 average.
After his strong 2015 season, Hendriks was traded to the then Oakland Athletics in exchange for right-hander Jesse Chavez. Hendriks spent the next five seasons with the Athletics and became one of the league’s premier closers before signing a three-year, $54-million contract with the Chicago White Sox. Hendriks posted consecutive seasons of 38 and 37 saves during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. Hendriks’ 38 saves led the American League and was second in MLB before finishing third the following campaign.
For his efforts, Hendriks was named the AL Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year in 2020 and 2021 while also being named an All-Star three times in his career, during the 2019, 2021, and 2022 seasons.
Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in December 2022, Hendriks’ return to the mound in May of 2023 was a symbol of hope for many as the reliever showed he was a fighter both on and off the field.
For his career, the Australian native appeared in 490 games with the Twins, Blue Jays, Athletics, White Sox, and Boston Red Sox, going 33-36 with 116 saves, a 3.88 ERA, and a 1.39 WHIP. Hendriks struck out 739 batters across 663.2 innings and was hit at a .247 clip.
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