Perth’s Liam Hendriks makes MLB history after being named AL’s Reliever of the Year

Australian baseball star Liam Hendriks made MLB history after he became the first player named as the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year in consecutive seasons since the award began in 2014.

The 32-year-old was also a runner up for the award in 2019, highlighting the dominance of the Perth native when closing games out.

Hendriks, who plays for the Chicago White Sox, enjoyed a stellar 2021 season, having made the switch to the Windy City after four years with the Oakland Athletics.

In a career season, Hendriks led qualified MLB relievers in strikeouts, as well as the AL with 38 saves.

The right-hander also finished with an 8-3 win-loss record, with a 2.54 ERA to boot.

In his final 19 appearances, Hendriks proved a tall task for opposition batters to handle, allowing just one run, ten hits and one walk in 21 innings against 31 strikeouts.

The award was just another feather in the cap for the former Perth Heat man, as he was named to his second career All-Star team and became the first Australian to be picked for the showcase occasion twice.

Hendriks has spent ten years in MLB, beginning his career with the Minnesota Twins in 2011.

Moves to the Toronto Blue Jays and the Kansas City Royals followed before he moved to Oakland in 2016.