Tyler Duffey, a former Minnesota Twins pitcher, recently shared a frightening story of being diagnosed with cancer earlier this spring.
Duffey was undergoing his intake physical as a non-roster invitee for the Kansas City Royals when he decided to confront the doctor about something on his skin that didn’t appear right. The team dermatologist investigated and discovered that there was malignant tissue on his left shoulder.
“I don’t love that one,” Duffey recalls Royals team doctor Glenn Goldstein saying.
The alarm was raised by a mole, which was swiftly removed, something Duffey wants everyone to be aware of so that they do not find themselves in a similar predicament too late.
Former Twins pitcher admits cancer diagnosis following Spring Training check-up.
Duffey lost both of his parents to cancer, his father in 2012 and his mother in 2021, which he tearfully acknowledged when discussing how fortunate he was to have detected the cancer early.
Thankfully, Duffey appears to have avoided the worst-case scenario and was cancer-free at his last checkup. He considers the boldness of simply asking his doctor what was wrong with something strange he noticed to be a potentially lifesaving decision.
“We caught it very early, which is the best blessing of it all and I’m able to play baseball, hopefully in a week or two,” Duffey told reporters. “It’s been a strange week, full with emotions. But, overall, I believe we’re in a good place, and everyone here is taking wonderful care of me.”
He isn’t the only professional athlete whose life could be saved by a visit to the team doctor. Foster Moreau, an NFL tight end, found he had cancer while undergoing a physical after signing with the New Orleans Saints last offseason.
A similar visit may have saved Duffey.
In discussing the cancer fear, he made an excellent point about how easily and unexpectedly cancer may occur. Spending a day in the sun at the stadium is one of baseball’s selling attractions, but it can have major effects if not properly prepared for.
“We spend a lot of time in the sun. We’re always outside, often without even realizing it, sitting in a bullpen,” Duffey explained. “The fact that it costs nothing to get tested is perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned from it. It requires no work other than showing up.
That is not something you consider, or at least something we all take for granted. Duffey’s tale teaches not only baseball players, but everyone, that getting screened for cancer and taking the appropriate precautions can make a life-changing difference in the end.
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