Liam Hendriks added to AL All-Star team
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Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has been added to the American League All-Star Team, joining teammate Tim Anderson at the 2022 Midsummer Classic to be played on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Hendriks, 33, is 1-2 with a 2.35 ERA (8 ER/30.2 IP), 45 strikeouts (13.21), 18 saves and a 0.95 WHIP in 30 relief appearances this season, his second with the White Sox, and has made his third AL All-Star Team (also 2019 and 2021).
"Closer is the only guy on the club that if he has a good day, you win. Nobody else can say that," manager Tony La Russa said Sunday prior to Chicago's game against the Twins. "That’s what Liam is to us and other teams that have closers. It’s a big factor. Get the lead, lead late, we’re going to win and we do."
Hendriks is tied for fourth in the AL in saves (one off the lead) despite missing nearly three weeks with a flexor strain in his right forearm. He has made 15 consecutive scoreless appearances (since May 16), allowing four hits with three walks and 22 strikeouts over 15.1 IP and converting all nine save chances.
Hendriks, the two-time reigning Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year, is the first White Sox reliever since Bobby Jenks in 2006-07 to make back-to-back All-Star Teams. He earned the save at the 2021 Midsummer Classic at Colorado’s Coors Field to close a 5-2 AL victory over the National League.