Liam Hendriks

Liam Johnson Hendriks (born 10 February 1989) is an Australian professional baseball relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).

He has previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox.

Hendriks debuted in the Twins organization in 2007 pitching for the Gulf Coast League Twins.

He led the team in strikeouts with 52.

He was also named as a Twins Top 50 prospect.

He pitched for the Perth Heat in the 2008 Claxton Shield and went 3–0 with a 1.90 earned run average (ERA) and 25 strikeouts, a competition high.

Hendriks was then added to the Australian national team for the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament pitching five innings of work while only allowing one unearned run alongside two hits and a walk while striking out six.

Hendriks underwent back surgery that prevented him from playing in the minors in the 2008 season, but made the 2009 World Baseball Classic roster, the youngest Australian player in the Classic.

In 2009, Hendriks spent the season with the Class-A Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League and the Rookie-Level Elizabethton Twins of the Appalachian League.

He went a combined 5–5 with a 3.55 ERA in 14 games, all starts.

Hendriks was selected for the 2010 All-Star Futures Game, but developed appendicitis and was forced to miss the game.

Hendriks earned a Futures Game invitation in 2010.

On 5 September 2011, Hendriks was called up to the Minnesota Twins from Triple-A Rochester.

He went on to finish the season with an 0–2 record.

At the end of the 2011 season he was named the Minnesota Twins' Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

He was an All-Star for the New Britain Rock Cats in 2011, and named an organizational All-Star for Minnesota at the end of the season.

He also earned his second invitation to the Futures Game.

After a successful spring training (3–1, 2.84 ERA, 8 games/4 starts), Hendriks was named as one of the Twins' starting pitchers for 2012.

On 19 September 2012, Hendriks earned his first Major League victory in a 6–4 win against the Cleveland Indians.

On 5 December 2013, the Twins designated Hendriks for assignment, after the signing of pitcher Phil Hughes.

On 13 December 2013, Hendriks was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs.

Ten days later, he was claimed off waivers again, this time by the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles designated him for assignment on 19 February 2014 to make room for Ubaldo Jiménez on the active roster.

The Toronto Blue Jays claimed Hendriks off waivers on 21 February 2014.

On 10 March 2014, he was optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

Hendriks compiled a 5–0 record with an ERA of 1.46 through nine games (seven starts) with the Bisons, before being called up to the Majors on 23 May 2014.

He made his Blue Jays debut that day, picking up a 3–2 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Hendriks started the game and allowed 3 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks and struck out 3 over 52⁄3 innings.

After 2 starts for the Blue Jays, Hendriks was optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo on 1 June 2014.

In 2017 and 2019, Hendriks was the Oakland Athletics' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award after his work with Big League Impact and Striking Out Poverty in their efforts to end poverty in the Dominican Republic.

Hendriks was the Chicago White Sox Roberto Clemente nominee in 2021, 2022, and 2023, making him a five-time nominee.

He has been an All-Star three times (2019, 2021 and 2022) and was the American League's Reliever of the Year in 2020 and 2021.

His most recent accomplishment is winning the AL MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award for the 2023 season.

Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Hendriks began playing tee-ball when he was five (rather than the traditional Australian summer game of cricket), before transitioning to baseball at the age of ten.

He also played Australian rules football.

Hendriks continued playing both baseball and football through high school at Sacred Heart College, Sorrento.

Hendriks's paternal grandparents emigrated to Australia from the Netherlands.

His father, Geoff Hendriks, played over 150 games of senior football for the West Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).

Under the father–son rule used by the Australian Football League (AFL) at the time, Liam was eligible to be drafted by the West Coast Eagles had he decided to pursue a career in football.

However, he decided to pursue baseball and was signed by the Minnesota Twins on his eighteenth birthday.