Lost in the shuffle of Day 1 of MLB Postseason action, a former White Sox fan favorite made an announcement regarding his future in the league. Closer Liam Hendriks, who made two All-Star games as a member of the White Sox, announced his retirement from MLB at the age of 37. Known for his unmatched passion and electric personality, Hendriks made the announcement in a way that only he could, through a comedic post on his Instagram.
A native of Australia, Hendriks was initially signed by the Minnesota Twins as an international free agent in 2007. He came up through the Twins organization as a starter, making his big league debut for Minnesota in 2011. After four rough seasons as a starter, Hendriks moved to a bullpen role and posted a 2.92 ERA in 58 games for Toronto in 2015. He signed with the Athletics that offseason, where he remained a key piece of the bullpen and eventually took over as closer in 2019. After saving 25 of 32 chances and posting a 1.80 ERA, Hendriks made his first All-Star team in 2019, and saved 14 of 15 games during the A’s playoff run in 2020. He joined the White Sox as a free agent following the 2020 season and saved 75 games over two years as the White Sox closer, making the All-Star team in both 2021 and 2022.
Prior to the 2023 season, Hendriks revealed he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and would be stepping away from baseball to undergo treatment. Thankfully, Hendriks beat the cancer, and even came back in time to appear in five games in 2023. An elbow injury wiped out his entire 2024 season, and Hendriks logged just 13.2 innings during the entirety of his two-year deal with the Red Sox. After electing free agency, Hendriks spent the 2026 season split between the Twins and Cubs organizations but did not pitch in the big leagues .
Liam Hendriks' electric personality made him a fan favorite in Chicago
Throughout his time in the White Sox organization, Hendriks was beloved by White Sox fans, who appreciated his passion on the mound, as well as the work Liam and his wife did in the Chicago community. He’s the kind of player that has always been easy to root for, and it was a blessing getting to watch him save games on the South Side for two seasons. Hendriks indicated in his post that his immediate plans involve simply spending more time with his family and relaxing, but he’s the kind of personality that would no doubt be welcome in the coaching world should he express interest in the future.
We wish Liam Hendriks the best in all of his future endeavors and congratulate him on a successful big league career.
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