The news spread throughout the White Sox’ clubhouse: “Google” was doing better.
“Google” is the nickname Sox teammates have for reliever Danny Farquhar, who remains hospitalized after suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm during the game Friday night against the Astros at Guaranteed Rate Field.
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The Sox announced Monday that Farquhar is in critical but neurologically stable condition in the intensive care unit at Rush University Medical Center. The medical team treating Farquhar, 31, said he’s “progressing well” and “has use of his extremities, is responding appropriately to questions and commands and is speaking to doctors and his family.”
Suddenly, the collective mood of a team that is off to its worst start since 1948 was brightened, even knowing that Farquhar isn’t out of the woods and likely will remain in ICU for weeks.
“When it happened, we all had that gut feeling in our stomachs, like, ‘What is going on?’ ’’ reliever Nate Jones said before the Sox’ game against the Mariners on Monday. “And then some info started coming in, and we were very concerned and worried about his health and his family, especially. But to get something like this really lifts the spirits up, for sure.”
Farquhar collapsed in the dugout after making an appearance against Houston and was treated in the clubhouse by team medical personnel and on-site emergency medical technicians. He was then transported to Rush and underwent surgery Saturday.
The Sox said Farquhar’s wife, Lexie, and family members “are present at the hospital as he continues to receive treatment and close monitoring by the neurosurgical team.”
Also monitoring Farquhar’s health are Sox players and personnel, who are eagerly awaiting the moment they can visit their teammate.
“Nothing really matters as far as baseball goes right now,” starter James Shields said. “Just as long as we know one of our brothers is doing better. Definitely, it was weighing on our minds right away. We were worried about him and his family, but having good news like that is definitely helping us out here but more importantly his family.”
Shields said he has received text messages “from across the league” in support of Farquhar, and teams have begun hanging his jersey in bullpens and dugouts, including the Sox and Mariners on Monday night.
“We have his jersey out there hanging in the bullpen with us because we want to not completely black it out because it actually did happen, and he’s one of our brothers,” Jones said. “And we want to remember that and try to represent that the best that we can.”
Added Shields: “Baseball in general is a family. We have a brotherhood here. We’re just really supporting him and his family right now.”
While he is missed on the mound, his teammates are missing the personable Farquhar more in the clubhouse, dugout and bullpen.
“He’s always smiling, laughing [and] joking around,” fellow reliever Aaron Bummer said. “We call him ‘Google.’ He’s full of knowledge. If we ever need [to know] anything about pitching, he does a lot of that analytics stuff. He’s awesome. We miss him a lot.’’
Seeing a teammate suddenly fighting for his life has left a lasting impression on Sox players.
“It definitely gives you a little perspective on life,” Bummer said. “It makes it blessed every day that you have, every moment that you have. We’re very thankful that we are still able to play this game, and hopefully Danny will be able to be back out here with us.”
