Tigers pitcher Norris reveals he has thyroid cancer
DETROIT — Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris says baseball kept him sane after a jarring medical diagnosis.
The Detroit left-hander, a native of Johnson City, Tennessee, announced in a message on Twitter and Instagram on Monday that he kept playing last season after finding out he had a cancerous growth on his thyroid. Norris said the growth was deemed malignant, but he was told by a doctor that he could wait until the end of the season to have it removed.
“I was given the option to shut my year down & get it removed immediately,” Norris posted. “However, seeing another doctor that determined I could wait until the end of the season reassured my gut feeling. Just keep playing.”
Norris, 22, went 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA this year in 13 starts for Toronto and Detroit. He was traded to the Tigers in late July as the most highly regarded prospect in the deal that sent David Price to the Blue Jays.
Al Avila, who was promoted to replace Dave Dombrowski as Detroit’s general manager shortly after the trade deadline, said in a text message that the Tigers knew about Norris’ condition when they acquired him and expect him to fully recover.
“It’s time to get this thing out,” Norris said in his social media post. “So please keep me in your thoughts & prayers as I undergo surgery & come out 100% cancer free!”
Norris said he found out about the growth a few months ago, after he was optioned to Triple-A. He said it was alarming to hear that the growth was malignant, but he kept playing.
“Baseball kept me sane,” he said. “Regardless of the results on the field, I forgot about it when I was between the lines. ... I was just trying to get the heck out of AAA. ... I was revived with an opportunity, a blessing from God, with the Tigers.”
DEVELOPMENTS
Harvey ready for Game 5: Mets right-hander Matt Harvey plans to start Game 5 of the NLCS — if there is one — despite a bruise on his pitching arm from a line drive in Game 1.
“Good to go,” a team spokesman said after Harvey played catch Monday at Wrigley Field.
When asked how Harvey looked playing catch, pitching coach Dan Warthen said, “Very handsome.”
Warthen added that his concern about Harvey not starting Game 5 is “none.”
Manager Terry Collins was more concerned after seeing how the bruise on Harvey’s triceps had “swelled up” since Saturday, when Harvey was struck by Dexter Fowler’s line drive in the sixth inning. Harvey pitched into the eighth in the Mets’ 4-2 victory.
“Who is going to pitch Game 5? We don’t know yet,” Collins said.
Jacob deGrom will start Game 3 tonight and Steven Matz will go in Game 4 on Wednesday night. Game 5, if needed, will be Thursday night.
Briefly: Left-hander Barry Zito is retiring as planned. The pitcher made the announcement in an article he wrote for “The Players’ Tribune” posted Monday, saying, “I’m retiring today from baseball, but I’ll never be too far away from the game that made me who I am.” The 37-year-old Zito said last month when called up to the Oakland Athletics after a season with Triple-A Nashville that he planned to retire and turn his attention to his other love, music, and spending more time with his family. The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner with the A’s, Zito went 165-143 with a 4.04 ERA in parts of 15 big league seasons. ... Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones retired Monday after a 38-year career in professional baseball, saying he was ready to spend more time with his family.