The White Sox will have someone joining Tim Anderson in Los Angeles this week for the All-Star Game after all.
This morning, Major League Baseball announced that closer Liam Hendriks has been added to the AL All-Star team ahead of this year’s all-star game on Tuesday, July 19. He will be replacing Justin Verlander on the roster, who was going to be unable to pitch after starting earlier this weekend.
This is the third All-Star selection for Hendriks, the first two coming in 2019 and 2021. The two-time Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year has had another impressive season on the south side, posting a 2.35 ERA in 30.2 IP. He has saved 18 games in 21 save opportunities, striking out 36.9% of batters and walking just 6.6% of them. Hendriks has not allowed an earned run in 15 appearances since May 15, and in that time, opposing hitters have hit just .080/.132/.100 off of his in 53 plate appearances.
This is clearly a well-deserved honor for Hendriks, who has been incredible since signing with the White Sox before the 2021 season. And, at the end of the day, it will be nice to see Tim Anderson have a friend with him at the game. There is no word, however, if there are plans for Hendriks to be mic’d up during this year’s game.
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Featured Image: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Difficult to weigh Dylan Cease versus Liam Hendriks. I probably would have taken Dylan Cease.