Hendriks repeats as All-MLB First Teamer
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CHICAGO -- Liam Hendriks earned a place on the 2021 first-team All-MLB squad at reliever to go with his second straight American League Reliever of the Year honor. The All-MLB teams were announced Tuesday night on MLB Network.
Hendriks was one of two relievers to be named first team, joining Milwaukee’s Josh Hader, who was the National League Reliever of the Year. Hendriks’ first season with the White Sox was a memorable one with the right-hander already throwing and preparing for 2022.
“There are always little tinkering things you can work on, but until I get on a mound, I don’t try to worry too much about how everything is going,” said Hendriks during a Zoom following his AL Reliever of the Year honor. “At the end of the day, nothing changes unless it changes on the mound.
“I’m trying to keep things as similar as I can to previous years. But as everybody knows, the more you age, the more your body recovers differently or the more your body moves differently, and you have to make those adjustments then.”
Hendriks was selected as an All-Star and was basically dominant as the White Sox last line of pitching defense. The right-hander finished with a 2.54 ERA, an AL-best 38 saves in 44 opportunities and 113 strikeouts against just seven walks in 69 appearances and 71 innings. He added a 0.73 WHIP and .174 average against. He joined Terry Forster (24 saves in 1974), Rich ‘Goose’ Gossage (26 in ‘75) and Bobby Thigpen (57 in ‘90) as the only White Sox hurlers to lead the AL in saves. Hendriks also led all MLB relievers in strikeouts, and AL relievers in WHIP and strikeout-to-walk ratio (16.14).
He joined Kenley Jansen in 2017 (109 strikeouts; seven walks) as the only pitchers in history to strike out 100 or more batters with seven or fewer walks in a season. Hendriks did not issue more than one walk in any appearance in 2021, closing the season with scoreless streaks of 15 games and 15 2/3 innings. Hendriks represents the only White Sox player to be honored on either All-MLB team.