Colorado Rockies: Chad Bettis returns after cancer treatment
The Colorado Rockies will have right-handed pitcher Chad Bettis make his debut against the Atlanta Braves Monday at Coors Field after battling testicular cancer.
Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black announced Sunday that Chad Bettis will face off against the Atlanta Braves on Monday, kicking off a seven-game home stand. Bettis hasn’t played since September 30, 2016 and has been battling against testicular cancer.
The Colorado Rockies gave Bettis five rehab starts including one this past Tuesday where he gave up one run through five innings before rain interrupted the game. Bettis is joining a Colorado Rockies team that is in the middle of a Wild Card race in the National League.
The NL West is dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Rockies are 18 games back from the division lead. However, they are currently tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks of the NL West with a 4.5-game lead over the closest Wild Card contender, the St. Louis Cardinals.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Bettis also joins a Colorado Rockies team that is on a three-game losing streak and hopes to rebound as it enters a four-game series at home with the Braves. Bettis is starting off that series and many fans and fellow players will be watching in support of his situation.
In May, Bettis completed his last round of cancer treatment. In March, Bettis and doctors discovered that his testicular cancer had spread. Last year in November, the Colorado Rockies and their community prayed for Bettis while he underwent surgery to remove the cancer, but it returned and he was forced to step away from the game he loved to participate in chemotherapy treatment.
"“To see where he was when he was re-diagnosed, it was hard for us, because he was a big part of our team,” manager Bud Black said, per ESPN.com. “To see him go through what he has had to go through, and to see him work his butt off – a guy who had chemotherapy, and how that feels – to where he is now, what a great story for all of us. It has been just wonderful to watch.”"
Next: Freeman is happy with the Braves' rebuild
Regardless of Bettis’s performance Monday, the Colorado Rockies organization, their fans and baseball fans everywhere should be proud. MLB has strong roots in supporting the fight against cancer and when one of its own players is directly affected by the disease, it is an inspiration to us all when their fight is successful.