Liam Hendriks threw a knuckleball in All-Star Game to raise money for shelter animals
White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks made headlines after closing out the American League’s 5-2 win in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
That was mainly because he was mic’d-up for the game but didn’t realize it was a hot microphone and was cursing like a sailor.
But Hendriks also made good on a pledge to help shelter animals. Hendriks, the former Royals pitcher, said he would throw a knuckleball in the game if fans would donate $20 to an animal charity.
He made the pledge to Pitching Ninja (aka Rob Friedman) on Twitter:
With two outs in the ninth inning, Hendriks delivered. His first pitch to the Braves’ Ozzie Albers was an 84.3 mph knuckleball that was called a ball.
MLB.com’s play-by-play shows it was a knuckleball and he confirmed it after the game.
“I threw a knuckleball in there today,” Hendriks said in an interview on Sirius XM. “I’m mixing things in. I enjoy the game. I want to have fun with it.”
Players for Pits, a Chicago-area rescue for dogs, received multiple donations thanks to that one pitch.
Do you want to donate but would rather spend your money locally? There are at least 20 shelters in the Kansas City area that can use help.
