Former White Sox relief pitcher Danny Farquhar is close to making a major league comeback as he signed minor league deal with Yankees.
White Sox fans, like other team’s fans, never like losing one of their own. Yet if there’s ever a player who signs elsewhere that fans can root for, it has to be Danny Farquhar.
Farquhar, whose career also includes stints with Toronto, Seattle, and Tampa Bay, signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees earlier this week. Of course, baseball took a back seat this year to what was most important in his life.
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In one of the biggest scares in recent memory, Farquhar collapsed in the dugout during a regular season game with the White Sox last April and was immediately rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered he’d suffered a brain hemorrhage, caused by a ruptured aneurysm. He would eventually stabilize, but the incident at first left him in critical condition.
Tributes poured out for him, with then-White Sox pitcher James Shields stating that Farquhar’s medical emergency is something that would crush the players in the clubhouse.
"“It crushes us in this clubhouse, and nothing really matters baseball-wise when something like that happens…When you see one of your brothers go down like that, it’s not very fun to watch. He’s such a resilient human being and we’re praying for him.” James Shields"
Across town, the same sentiment was found – with Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo tweeting:
Prayers for @whitesox Danny Farquhar. Another reminder how precious life is. Stay strong and keep fighting. My thoughts are with his family.
— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) April 21, 2018
Though officially signed with the Yankees, Farquhar will be challenged in the spring. According to Yahoo Sports’ Craig Calcattera.
"“It’ll be a major challenge [to make the team] — more so due to how stacked the Yankees’ bullpen is than due to the layoff — but simply having Farquhar back on the mound, in Tampa this spring and/or in Scranton this summer, will be nice to see.” Craig Calcaterra"
Regardless of whether or not Farquhar makes the Yankees roster, his resilience and ability to return to the game after a serious medical crisis could’ve killed him is an inspiration. There will be many teams in need of a quality reliever.