They call Volcanoes Stadium Salem’s Field of Dreams.

Brad Hennessey knows the other side of the story too. His dream to get the majors started there. His first obstacle was also there waiting in Salem. If you know Hennessey’s story, he didn’t pitch much after being drafted in 2001 by the San Francisco Giants out of Youngstown State after a cancerous tumor in his back was found in late 2001.

He spent that season and the next fighting off the cancer and a reoccurrence. Yet, even today Brad still pursues his dream.

After being drafted, Brad started nine games for Salem-Keizer and posted a 2.38 ERA and went 1-0 the Northwest League playoffs that September.

Brad did not start the season with the team because he was a highly-touted first round pick and needed to iron out a contract. But once in Salem and after some time, he started laboring on the mound. His last two to three starts, his pitches were staying up in the zone. His outings were getting shorter. Something wasn’t right.

The playoffs started and the Volcanoes breezed through two games in Boise. Game three rolled around - which happened to be a Championship clinching game with the Volcanoes up 2-0 on Boise.

I remember that game well. I got to my seat at 6 o’clock the first pitch at 7 that night.  Soon after I sat down, there were rumblings that Hennessey – who was projected to start - may not start due to some back pain. When Brad began warming up in the bullpen to make the start, you could feel this would be one of those evenings were the bullpen would play a large role.

Game 3 was the final game of the year in the Northwest League as the Volcanoes Clinched the title with a three game sweep. It fell on September 10, 2001. That was the final day of the minor league season. The events of the next day changed the world for us all. For Brad, facing the unknowns of his career was a different kind of fear then most Americans were feeling at that time. But he too would fight.

Hennessey started his comeback in 2003 at Hagerstown, Maryland South Atlantic League Class A affiliate of the Giants. He went 3-9 in 15 starts and in 2004 split the season between Double A Norwich of the Eastern League and Triple A Fresno of the Pacific Coast League. In Fresno that season he was 4-1 and pitched good enough to make his major league debut in 2004 for the San Francisco Giants.

If you are a fan of the Giants organization, you’ll remember how Hennessey had his up and downs with in San Francisco. Eventually he struggled as a starting pitcher - following the trade of Armando Benitez to the Florida Marlins – and was moved into the bullpen and in 2007 where he closed for the Giants. He posted his best season in 2007 with 19 saves and a 3.42 ERA.

Looking back on his career, the pain he experienced was not merely tightness or soreness or anything commonly found in a pitcher or athlete’s back.

It was a tumor.

Chemotherapy seemed to take care of it, but when he was rehabbing the cancer returned and intensified.  It wiped out his entire 2002 campaign. Brad had to wait until 2003 to get back on the mound, but he made it. He fought inconsistency in the minors while trying to build up his strength that year, and did not get to the majors until 2004 with the Giants.

His 2004 major league debut pitted him against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers and their starter Greg Maddux. Maddux was going for his 300^th victory and eventually got the win.

In many ways, Brad was a also a winner. But even that story has another side.

In 2008, he signed to play for the Baltimore Orioles before being released in June, 2009.

Now Hennessey is trying to make it back to the majors as be pitches in the International League. In his pro career, Hennessey is 17-23 with a 4.69 ERA and 20 saves, and this past offseason he signed with the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A affiliate Rochester Red Wings.  He is 1-2 with 6.84 ERA in 13 appearances on the season, and is trying to make it back after missing the 2009 season.

Even in Rochester, maybe Hennessey still has some fight left in him.

photo: rotoinfo

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