Chad Bettis posts scoreless start in return from testicular cancer

Colorado Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis was a winner the instant he took the mound Monday night against the Atlanta Braves. Bettis made his 2017 debut after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in November, and turned in a fantastic performance.

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Bettis held the Braves scoreless over seven strong innings. He allowed six hits and struck out two. Bettis did not issue a walk during the start. He threw 90 pitches.

Early on, it was clear Bettis’ teammates had his back. The first hitter he faced, Ender Inciarte, ripped a triple to left field. As he attempted to stretch it into an inside-the-park home run, he was thrown out at the plate.

The next two innings were quick and easy for the pitcher. Bettis made it through a perfect second inning, and pitched around a single in the third. He allowed doubles in each the fourth and fifth innings, but managed to keep the Braves from scoring. He was perfect again in the sixth.

His final inning brought the biggest challenge. Bettis allowed a leadoff double to Kurt Suzuki. After a sacrifice bunt put Suzuki on third with just one out, Bettis had to find a way to keep Suzuki from scoring. He managed to induce a shallow fly ball to center to keep Suzuki from advancing, and got another fly out to center to end the inning.

Despite Bettis’ fantastic performance, the Rockies failed to score when he was on the mound. The team did manage three runs in the eighth, winning the contest 3-0, but Bettis was given a no-decision in his 2017 debut. After everything he’s been through, that’s probably OK with the pitcher.

In December, Bettis released a statement telling the public he had undergone surgery in November after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. In that statement, the 28-year-old said he expected to be ready for spring training.

During a routine exam in March, doctors discovered Bettis’ cancer spread. He underwent a chemotherapy regimen, and received support from teammates, fans and others around the game. In a statement, Bettis said returning in 2017 would be optimistic.

Five months later, he was back on the mound throwing up zeroes. He again had support from many around the league, including Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jameson Taillon, who also returned after battling testicular cancer earlier this season.

Even Bettis’ opponent, the Braves, sent words of encouragement to the pitcher prior to the start.

Bettis didn’t get the win Monday night but, as the Rockies summed up perfectly, that wasn’t important.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik