During the 2016 season, it seemed like every time the Colorado Rockies needed a lift Chad Bettis would deliver. Now, the Rockies are about to get a huge lift when he rejoins the team in 2017. Nick Groke of the Denver Post reported on Friday that Bettis, who has been battling cancer since November, will rejoin the club on Tuesday in Denver when they return for a two-game series with Cleveland.
Chad Bettis (cancer) will rejoin the Rockies when they return to Denver on Tuesday. Not a visit. For actual baseball work. Start rehab.
— Nick Groke (@nickgroke) June 3, 2017
The Rockies are off to a franchise best 34-22 record. Save for a little dip of late, they have been one of the hottest teams in baseball all season long. The clubhouse is rocking and there’s a winning feeling everywhere around Coors Field. That atmosphere will be amplified tenfold with the return of Bettis.
Bettis was diagnosed in November this past offseason with testicular cancer. After surgery, he was believed to be cancer free and that he would not require radiation or chemotherapy. Unfortunately, his cancer returned and in March he began a more aggressive treatment program. In addition to undergoing treatment, Bettis also became a new father.
He spent time with the club in Arizona, where he was receiving treatment, on their roadtrip there at the end of April. They arrived in Phoenix after losing a four-game series at Coors Field in disappointing fashion to the Washington Nationals. After spending time with Bettis, the Rockies rattled off a 7-0-1 series win stretch and 18-10 record.
Bettis, 28, was Colorado’s winningest pitcher in 2016. His 14 wins and 186 innings led the team. The right-hander had a knack for winning big games against tough opponents and putting and end to losing streaks. And he it did it with a team-first attitude and a smile.
The Rockies have been one of the best teams in baseball through the season’s first two months. Greg Holland is a perfect 20-for-20 and was named the NL Reliever of the Month for a second straight month. Charlie Blackmon was named NL Player of the Month for May and leads the NL is RBIs. But the team has been scuffling a little of late. They have lost five of their last eight and dropped three of four to the Mariners.
Bettis’ return comes just ahead of another big return – that of Jon Gray. Together, they’ll bring even more energy to a clubhouse that has been buzzing with excitement so far this season.
Bettis penned a first-person account of his battle with cancer for the April issue of Mile High Sports Magazine. Give it a read, if you haven’t yet.
