'Human Victory Drama' battles cancer → overcomes illness and returns, receives 'Resurgence of the Year Award'... 'Award with NL Bellinger'

 Liam Hendrix (34, Chicago White Sox), who overcame blood cancer and made a comeback, and Cody Bellinger (28, Chicago Cubs), who overcame sluggishness in recent seasons and had an excellent season, were honored with the Comeback Player of the Year award.

On the 29th (Korean time), the Major League Secretariat announced that Hendrix and Bellinger were named Comeback Player of the Year for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), respectively, through voting by reporters active on the Major League website, MLB.com. Year Awards) was officially announced.

Hendrix established himself as a top major league pitcher by posting 38 saves in the 2021 season and 37 saves in the 2022 season. But last January, ahead of the 2023 season, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.

Hendrix battled illness for more than three months and never lost his dream of returning to the major leagues. And finally, after receiving a full recovery at the end of April, he returned to the field on May 30th.

Although Hendrix suffered an elbow injury in early June, he was unable to play many games in the 2023 season. Then, in early August, he underwent elbow ligament joint surgery (Tommy John surgery). In the 2023 season, Hendrix appeared in 5 games, recording 2 wins, undefeated, 1 save, and an ERA of 5.40. However, the fact that he overcame his illness and battle, stood on the mound again and threw a ball was a great move to many baseball fans.

Hendrix signed a three-year contract worth $54 million with the Chicago White Sox after the 2020 season. It was a condition that included an option that the club could exercise for the 2024 season. However, the Chicago White Sox declined Hendrix's $15 million option and decided not to extend his contract. Accordingly, Hendrix is ​​currently a free agent and can sign a contract with any team. If he completes rehabilitation normally, it is expected that he will be able to return in the second half of the 2024 season or the 2025 season.

Another person who received the honor along with Hendrix was Bellinger. Bellinger is also well-known as a former teammate of Ryu Hyun-jin when he was playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His debut was strong. His bright future seemed to have opened when he won the National League Rookie of the Year award in the 2017 season. He then played in 156 games in the 2019 season, posting a batting average of 0.305, 47 home runs, and 115 RBIs, becoming the National League's Most Valuable Player (MVP).

However, Bellinger went through a difficult time after that, unable to find himself. In the 2021 season, he appeared in 95 games and posted a shocking .100 batting average (0.165). Last season, his batting average was only 0.210.

In the end, Bellinger was released as a non-tender (unconditional release) from the LA Dodgers after completing the 2022 season and transferred to the Chicago Cubs. And this miracle became his miracle. Bellinger once again spread the wings of resurrection. He appeared in 130 games in the 2023 season and had a batting average of 0.307, 26 home runs, 97 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. After previously signing a 1+1 year contract with the Cubs, Bellinger decided to undergo evaluation by the free agent market while exercising a mutual option for the 2024 season. Currently, Bellinger is considered the biggest free agent along with Shohei Otani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

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