Liam Hendriks has walked away from the Major Leagues after a 14-season career that carried him from the rotation to the late innings, through cancer treatment and elbow surgery, and back onto a big-league mound one final time with Boston.
Career line
| Seasons | Games | Innings | ERA | All-Star selections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 490 | 663 2/3 | 3.88 | 3 |
The Australian right-hander announced his retirement Tuesday in a message posted to Instagram, using the same blunt humor that often followed him to the mound. Hendriks said years of challenging hitters had come to an end, adding that his arm had no fastballs remaining and that even modest throwing now demanded several days of recovery.
Hendriks entered the Majors as a starter, but his most dominant work came after he moved into the bullpen. With the Athletics and White Sox, he developed into one of the game’s premier relief arms, making three All-Star teams and collecting American League Reliever of the Year honors in consecutive seasons in 2020 and 2021.
| 2020-21 relief run | ERA | Saves | Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two seasons | 2.34 | 52, most in MLB | AL Reliever of the Year, 2020 and 2021 |
More than the last out
There was never much mystery about Hendriks’ presence in a ballpark. He pitched with visible fire, letting opponents and teammates alike know exactly how much each out meant. But the edge on the mound came with a wide-reaching commitment away from it.
Hendriks received seven Roberto Clemente Award nominations during his career. He and his wife, Kristi, founded Hendriks’ Heroes, a nonprofit supporting cancer research, animal rescue efforts, veterans, first responders and their families.
His final chapter as a player also became one of the sport’s most memorable comeback stories. Hendriks disclosed a Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis in January 2023, then returned to pitch that summer. The comeback earned him the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Tommy John surgery followed in August, yet Hendriks still found his way back for a 14-game stint with the Red Sox in 2025. That appearance proved to be the last entry in a career defined by late-inning noise, uncommon resolve and a refusal to let difficult turns write the ending for him.
