In the grand scheme of things where cancer and a kid’s game intersect, it did not matter what Liam Hendriks did on the baseball field Monday night.

Forty-five days after his last chemotherapy treatment for stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hendriks donned a black “Southside” Sox uniform, received a pregame kiss behind home plate from wife Kristi and became a member of the White Sox again.

It was the second time Kristi Hendriks, Liam’s rock throughout an ordeal no one can ever prepare themselves for, saw her husband cry in two days. The first was Sunday night when he watched a Sox video showing teammates welcoming him back.

“And he has not cried in this journey at all,” Kristi said.

The only thing missing was lights out performance from Hendriks, who pitched the eighth inning and allowed two runs in a 6-4 Sox loss to the Angels at Progressive Field. Hendriks entered to a thunderous ovation from a holiday crowd of 23,599 and paused numerous times to gather his emotions.

Before he threw his first pitch, the crowd became quiet. The tension was “unspeakable,” broadcaster Jason Benetti said.

With the Angels leading 4-3, Matt Thaiss opened the inning with a single to center, stole second on a wide throw from catcher Yasmani Grandal and advanced to third on a grounder to first baseman Gavin Sheets with Hendriks making the putout at first. Hendriks, touching 95 mph with his fastball, walked Jared Walsh, then gave up a sacrifice fly to right fielder Eloy Jimenez.

After Mickey Moniak blooped a double on the left-field line, Mike Trout lined an RBI single off the glove of leaping shortstop Tim Anderson, making it 6-3.

All of it didn’t matter, considering a journey that began with the revelation December 7 that Hendriks had cancer. When Hendriks, 34, was announcing his diagnosis on Jan. 8, Kristi had no doubts he would live to see a day filled with tears, chills and the gamut of emotions.

“I knew Liam was going to be on a mound before we started chemo,” Kristi said. That was his saving grace. He said, ‘I’m going to play again if it takes me four rounds, if it takes me six rounds. … I’m going to do that because I need to do that for myself.’

“And then when all the fan support got behind him, it was 100% a moment of ‘I’m doing this for the city of Chicago.’ ’’

Hendriks saved 37 games for the Sox last season — he believes he may have had cancer during the season — and has done nothing but close since the Sox signed him to a $54 million contract before the 2021 season, but manager Pedro Grifol planned to ease him in, saying before the game Hendriks would not pitch in the ninth inning.

To a standing ovation, Hendriks walked from the dugout to the bullpen after the Sox cut the Angels lead to 4-2 on Andrew Vaughn’s seventh homer.

“Our goal is to get him in the game, see how he feels, see what the adrenaline does for him and evaluate it after,” Grifol said before the game. “If it takes one game and then put him in that closer’s role, that’s what we’ll do. If it takes two, that’s what we’ll do.”

“It’ll be an incredible [morale] boost for our team,” lefty reliever Garrett Crochet said. “I mean, we’ve all been pulling for him since the diagnosis came out, but to have him back here and spiking up tonight is pretty awesome.”

Sox right-hander Michael Kopech, unscored on in his previous two starts, gave up back to back homers to Brandon Drury and Matt Thaiss after walking Mike Trout and hitting Shohei Ohtani with a pitch on the shin in a four-run Angels first before completing 4 ¹⁄₃ innings with no more damage and 10 strikeouts.

Romy Gonzalez homered against Griffin Canning in the fifth to cut the Angels lead to 4-3.

Eloy Jimenez hit the Sox’ third homer, a solo shot leading off the ninth.