The Colorado Rockies will begin spring training games on Saturday. But regardless of how those games go, things are already looking better for pitcher Chad Bettis.
“Chad Bettis pitched a ho-hum bullpen session Wednesday at Salt River Fields. That is not why teammates congratulated him,” Nick Groke of The Denver Post wrote. “The Rockies right-hander, three months after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, was given a healthy prognosis after blood tests and a tumor marker test showed he remains free of the cancer.”
That is certainly great news and it goes well beyond anything that can possibly happen on the field.
Bettis underwent surgery for testicular cancer late in November. It was declared a success, but this was a big step in being sure that the cancer didn’t come back.
“Now I have some clarity,” Bettis said, per Groke. “When I can get away from what the doctor is going to say, it puts my mind at ease.”
The next step will reportedly be blood tests on a 3-6 month basis.
But for now, Bettis can get back to worrying about getting opposing hitters out and how he can go about taming Coors Field.