White Sox pitcher fighting for his life after sudden brain aneurysm

While the baseball community tries to wrap its head around the life scare that is happening off the diamond, Danny Farquhar remains in the hospital in critical condition, under the careful watch of neurosurgeons and anxious proximity of family.

Just minutes after walking off the mound having recorded two outs against the Astros on Friday night, Farquhar, a White Sox reliever, began vomiting in the dugout, passed out and was rushed to a nearby Chicago hospital. He had suffered a brain aneurysm and required multiple dangerous surgeries to lessen the swelling around his brain.

The 31-year-old has since moved into stable condition in the ICU unit and will stay hospitalized for at least the next three weeks. He might never play baseball again.

“He’s a fighter, and he’s in the fight of his life right now,” White Sox vice president Ken Williams told USA Today on Sunday, the day of the final game of the Astros series, which Houston swept. “They had to do another surgery, cracking his skull open, and putting a clamp on it. My God.

Farquhar’s White Sox teammates and coaches were quiet on the subject for most of the weekend, processing the sixth-inning shock that turned Friday night’s game on its head and waiting to hear details of Farquhar’s recovery. When some of them did open up Sunday, their responses were poignantly short.

“We made sure they knew that he’s still in critical condition but stable and that the best thing for us to do would be to give them space,” manager Rick Renteria told reporters before the game. “Let the medical staff do what they can do and then at the appropriate time, everybody will let us know when it’s OK to go ahead and reach out and go see him.”

Farquhar has touched many MLB players over a career that’s spanned nearly eight years and four major league clubs, and he was at the forefront of their minds this weekend as they prepared for their own games.

A’s catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who played college ball with Farquhar at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, felt emotionally conflicted Saturday night as he celebrated pitcher Sean Manaea’s no-hitter against the Red Sox and wondered about Farquhar’s health.

“Here’s a guy I’ve known for 11 years, and know his wife and oldest child, and wake up to the news he’s hanging on for dear life and end the day celebrating a no-hitter,” Lucroy said, speaking of Farquhar and his wife, Alexandria, who have three children together aged from 6 years old to 7 months.

“It was crazy. I was just sitting by myself at my locker not knowing how I was supposed to feel.”

Giants pitcher Derek Holland, Farquhar’s teammate on the White Sox last season, showed his support by writing Farquhar’s initials in the dirt of the mound before making his start on Saturday night against the Angels.

“For a former teammate, I hope prayers are out there for Danny Farquhar,” Holland said by his locker after the game. “I tried to write his name on the mound, but with the dirt it wasn’t very well seen.

“He’s a great guy. It’s extremely sad to see what’s happened. I’m praying for him and hoping for nothing but the best. It’s more important than the game itself, so I want to make sure thoughts and prayers are out there from all of us here.”

What makes the situation all the more upsetting is how loved Farquhar is by his family, friends and teammates, a result of the type of person he is.

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