Minnesota Twins Pitcher’s Wife Gives Birth to Their First Child Amid Cancer Battle

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Kody Funderburk and his wife, Alicia, have something to celebrate amidst one of the most challenging seasons of their lives.

The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Murphy Jo, just months after Alicia was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma during her pregnancy. The Twins confirmed the happy news in a post on X on Friday, April 24, writing, “Baby Fundy arrived on Monday, April 20th – a healthy baby girl, Murphy Jo. Both Alicia and Murphy are doing well!”

Alicia first shared her diagnosis publicly on her Instagram, just days before Murphy Jo’s arrival. “From getting pregnant to being diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, life recently has had some surprises,” she captioned a carousel of photos. “While this season of life hasn’t looked how we imagined, Kody and I are beyond grateful for all the love, prayers, and support around us.”

She also expressed excitement about meeting her daughter, writing at the time, “Baby Fundy is already so loved (and clearly already likes to keep things interesting).”

The Twins shared a deeper look at Funderburk, 29, and Alicia’s journey in the X posts, which included a photo of him standing beside a pregnant Alicia wearing a scarf around her head. “While pregnant, Alicia, Kody’s wife, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma,” the team wrote. “After ongoing chemotherapy treatments, doctors are hopeful that she’ll make a full recovery.”

The Twins added in their X tribute, “We are inspired by the strength and positivity the Funderburks have shown.”

The couple’s story is made even more remarkable by the fact that the baby may have saved Alicia’s life, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. An abnormal test result during a routine pregnancy screening led to the diagnosis.

In an interview published Sunday, April 19, Funderburk confirmed that the cancer was caught “early enough. It was just more about, ‘OK, what do we need to do?'”

Funderburk added, “Kind of like how baseball is, you kind of get to your process ‘OK, what’s next?’ ‘OK, go execute that.’ ‘What’s next?’ ‘OK, let’s do that.’ And every step of the way, our doctors and team were super supportive and compassionate. Never once did we ever feel like this was going to get out of hand or anything like that.”

Alicia is expected to resume chemotherapy treatment in the coming weeks, per the article.