Sometimes, Major League Baseball players are just good at their jobs because they work hard and are talented. At the end of the day, those are the two biggest keys to an individual’s success. With that, every now and again, you find someone who has the perfect attitude for his role in a certain city. That is absolutely the case for Liam Hendriks of the Chicago White Sox.
For one, he is talented and good at his job. His job is to throw the baseball from the pitcher’s mound into the catcher’s mitt in an attempt to get batters out. However, there is a little bit more detail to that as he is a closer. His team puts him in the ninth inning to end a game in which they are winning.
It isn’t always that situation but it ends up being that way for the most part. He has truly become one of the best in the world at that job which is why the White Sox pay him a lot of money to do so. They are hoping that one day he is on the staff when they win the World Series. He might even be the guy that they want out there throwing the final pitch of the season.
In 2021, he was magnificent. He was the best reliever in the American League which was so special. He had a 2.54 ERA, a WHIP of 0.732, and 113 strikeouts to only seven walks. It was a remarkable season that won him the Reliever of the Year Award and made him an All-Star.
Liam Hendriks was a remarkable reliever in 2021 for the Chicago White Sox.
It is clear that he is so perfect for that job in terms of his personality as well as his skill. He has a very fun attitude that is needed for him to be an effective closer. It is also an attitude that fits the culture of the White Sox. The south side has a lot of people that take pride in believing in themselves and being a little bit extra fired up. Hendriks fits that mold perfectly.
He might be from Australia but his Chicago ways show every time he pitches. Whenever he makes a pitch that records a big out, especially of the strikeout variety, he freaks out on the mound. It is truly one of the most fun things to watch in the sport. He just happens to play on this team.
If Hendriks pitches like this again in 2022, the bullpen for this team will be amazing. Michael Kopech is moving to the rotation but there are still some other great arms that should be able to help Hendriks out. He is so perfect for this team so it would be nice to see him and the squad reach the ultimate goal together.