Baines thankful for second chance with new heart, kidney

CHICAGO -- Harold Baines has been part of more than 30 home openers as a Hall of Fame player, coach and ambassador for the White Sox organization.

When he arrives with his wife, Marla, at Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday morning for the 2022 home opener in Chicago, something will feel different. Baines, now 63, will arrive almost 11 months removed from a life-saving heart and kidney transplant surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

As a player for 22 Major League seasons, Baines was as beloved as he was revered. The consummate professional finished with 384 home runs, 1,628 RBIs and 2,866 hits over 11,092 plate appearances. He was an outstanding defensive presence in right field early in his career with the White Sox, before becoming one of the game’s premier designated hitters.

“Some days, I did have bad days,” Baines said. “It was hard work even after you get the transplant, what you have to do. You have to learn how to eat again, you have to learn how to walk again. It’s still a journey, but I’m in a better place now.”

https://www.mlb.com/news/harold-baines-heart-kidney-transplant?partnerId=zh-20220412-581486-mlb-1-A&qid=1026&utm_id=zh-20220412-581486-mlb-1-A&bt_ee=N3T0FIRTgzgwJrhp2nGfCfTcuYfnMMX9Lp0ZwAp0gD49YClm0xHhPY2neAQw3Hyx&bt_ts=1649767678553