Liam Hendriks is one of the best Australian baseball players in history.
He's already broken the record for the most recorded saves by an Australian-born player with 105 and counting. Hendriks also has the most strikeouts by an Australian-born player with 700.
Growing up in Australia, Hendriks played many sports. Primarily, he focused on two -- baseball and Australian Rules Football. Unknown to likely many Americans, baseball and T-ball are extremely popular sports for kids in Australia.
"T-ball is the most popular sport in Australia," Hendriks told NBC Sports Chicago's David Kaplan. "That was my summer sport while I played Aussie Rules football in the winter."
T-ball, golf, cricket, tennis and Australian Rules Football are amongst the most popular sports in the country. Unfortunately, most kids drop off when it switches over to baseball around 11 or 12 years old, according to Hendriks.
Hendriks almost joined the statistic around the same time in his life.
"If I didn't make the state team, I was going to quit and focus on football," Hendriks told Kaplan.
MLB
Had Hendriks not made the state team in Australia the following year in baseball, he would have quit to focus on Australian Rules Football. Given his size, that route may not have been a bad choice. Thankfully, he stuck with baseball.
But, not after a long tryout process he had to repeat twice to make the team.
"The first year I went on to 14 (year old) state trials. I got cut first cut. Not even the best 150 kids. Went to the reserve team. It's the South East Asian baseball and softball tournament. Got cut from that one. Not even in the best 150 of the rest of 150. I got cut first cut from both of those.
"And then the next year I ended up making the state team, making the Institute of Sport team after that. Up until the age of 16 I was still focused solely on Australian rules football."
White Sox fans can wipe away the sweat from their foreheads. Hendriks has been phenomenal for the team. Not only is his on-field performance a vital asset to the team, but his high-spirited, enthusiastic personality make him a fan-favorite on the South side.
Since joining the team, Hendriks has made two-straight All-Star teams and has won AL Reliever of the Year. He's already cracked the top-ten list for saves in franchise history.
This season, he has a 2.95 ERA from 42.2 innings pitched. He's struck out 61 and walked 11 batters. He leads the American League and ranks third in MLB in saves (27). He currently has a streak of 18 consecutive saves going.
"It's all led us to here and hopefully brings a ring back to Chicago," Hendriks said.