As sports fans, there is nothing we love more than a heartwarming story. The storyline often doesn’t get any better than what will take place on Tuesday night when the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates face off.
Two pitchers who overcame great odds to get back on the mound will face off with a very similar story. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jameson Tailon and Colorado Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis are both cancer survivors.
.@cbettis35 and @JTaillon19 both struck out cancer.
Tonight, they face each other in Colorado. #BiggerThanBaseball pic.twitter.com/dIfStw51Yq
— MLB (@MLB) August 7, 2018
Bettis was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016 and has been cancer free since 2017. His experiences in overcoming cancer proved especially helpful last season. In May 2017, Tailon underwent surgery to treat his testicular cancer and talked to Bettis about the recovery process and for a support system.
“I just felt like if I needed anything or had a question, I was very comfortable going to ask him about any part of the process,” Tailon said, via The Charlotte Observer.
Now both starters are back on the mound and set to face each other for the first time. While one of them may finish the night with a loss, they both picked up the ultimate win by striking out cancer.