Chris Young will pay special attention to Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Night - MLB Update
As the Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Night gets underway, the New York Mets’ starting pitcher Chris Young will be keen on listening to this issue. It is mainly due to the fact that his former pitching coach Darrel Akerfelds and grandmother has been victim
to this type of cancer and lost their lives as a result.
Young has special memories with Akerfelds who passed away last month, in-particular the time-period when he was on a rehab process following shoulder surgery.
Chris was awarded a Minor League contract by the Mets before start of this season. When the club suffered injuries to some of their pitchers, the management called him up in the season. On a rotation which features Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey and Jon Niese,
his inclusion was expected to strengthen it and make sure the Mets avoid decline as the season entered into a crucial phase.
However, Young has proven to be an ordinary pitcher so far. With a 4.11 ERA and 2-4 win-loss record, he has yet to show the kind of dominance that the Mets expect from him on the mound.
Furthermore, his importance to New York’s rotation has risen immensely after Dillon Gee has fallen to an injury, which has put him on an almost season-ending disabled list.
Gee is one of those starters for the Mets who was relatively successful. This in turn creates a need for the club that calls for someone to fill his void. In this regard, there is an extra responsibility on Young now.
Meanwhile, Young talks about his pitching coach Akerfelds and how he spent penultimate moments of his life. In the context of the information that he is going to listen about Pancreatic Cancer in an awareness night in Citi Field on Friday, he comments on
the reason why Akerfelds did not want to disclose the reports of his cancer before dying.
“He kept it under the radar for so long. He thought he would beat it, and in a lot of ways he did,” Young said.
Furthermore, Young is impressed by the courage that Akerfelds showed while he was enduring Pancreatic Cancer. He believes that he did not lose heart in the face of hopeless situation.
The awareness night is a great opportunity for the players to get themselves equipped beforehand, in case they are vulnerable to such disease. Similarly, Young will look to make sure the knowledge that he learns can benefit him in the rest of his life.
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