Texas Tech Baseball Alum Chad Bettis Returns After Battling Cancer

Former Texas Tech pitcher Chad Bettis returned to a major league mound Monday night after overcoming a battle with testicular cancer.

Perhaps no Texas Tech alum knows better than Chad Bettis just what it means to be a “fearless champion”.  After all, Bettis has stared down the most daunting opponent imaginable and emerged victorious.  Just nine months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, the Colorado Rockies’ righty took the mound at Coors Field on Monday night to do what he does best, play baseball.

The Lubbock native and Monterey High School product was initially diagnosed with cancer in November.  However, by Christmas, he had been told that he was cancer free.  Unfortunately, the disease returned and by March doctors told Bettis that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes.

However, the former Red Raider attacked his chemotherapy treatments with the same bulldog mentality that helped him lead the 2016 Rockies in starts (32), wins (14) and innings pitched (186.0).  And it was that toughness that helped him through the rigors of chemotherapy.

"“I’m not going to lie. Chemo was tough, brutal at times,” Bettis said. “There were days when I didn’t want to get out of bed. … I started thinking, ‘OK, 21 treatments is now down to 19. Then it was 12, 11, then it’s 3-2-1. Then it was done. Then I could look back and say, ‘Wow, that was a lot of chemo!’ ” Bettis told the “Denver Post”."

So after winning the fight of his life, facing a major league lineup had to seem like a day at the beach.  And that’s exactly what the 28-year-old made facing the Atlanta Braves look like last night.

Bettis tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in his return.  He allowed just six hits and struck out two in what had to be a start unlike any in his life.  He did not factor into the decision as Colorado prevailed 3-0  but the outcome of the game was just a minor detail.

That he got to be back on the field was all that really mattered to Bettis.

"“It crept in when I woke up,”  Bettis said.. “Just thinking about everything that happened, everything my family went through. I was holding back tears until the game started.”"

Now, the veteran hurler has become more than an important member of the rotation for the Rockies, which currently occupy the National League’s second wild-card spot, he is an inspiration to thousands.

The Rockies and all of Major League Baseball has rallied around Chad Bettis.  Likewise, the Texas Tech family has been squarely in his corner.  Yesterday, the Texas Tech baseball twitter account retweeted this poignant tweet.

Now that his comeback is complete, Bettis can focus on the positives in his life such as baseball and being a new father.  He and his wife Kristina welcomed their first child, Everleigh Rae Bettis on March 29th.  According to the proud father, her arrival could not have come at a better time for the Bettis family.

"“Everleigh’s birth completely took the attention off me, which was really nice. It’s what I needed.” he said."

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But on Monday night the attention was back on Bettis  and once again he rose to the occasion.  What else would one expect from a fearless champion?