CHICAGO — He saved his best for last.
Longtime Chicago Cubs hurler Kyle Hendricks pitched a shutout 71/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday in what will likely be his final appearance for the franchise. Hendricks, 34, will become a free agent in November after spending 11 years in a Cubs uniform.
From the moment he took the field for pregame warmups on Saturday until he was pulled in the eighth inning by longtime pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, Hendrix was celebrated by the Wrigley Field faithful. Afterwards, the usually stoic right-hander talked about how he felt after the game ended after receiving a standing ovation.
“I feel everything, I feel every emotion,” Hendricks said. “I’m really, really lucky. And I’m very happy. Just the fans giving me that… Part of me hates it. I hate all that attention, but in the end… I know I have to soak in these moments…I’m a very lucky man.”
The fans wouldn’t let Hendrix go home without showing their appreciation, so when Hendrix came out of the dugout for the curtain call shortly afterward, the crowd wasn’t happy with him. The Cubs scored three runs in the bottom of the 8th inning, securing a shutout for the second straight year against the Reds, but all eyes were on the only remaining member of the 2016 World Series team.
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Hendricks received applause when he went to the bullpen for warmups and also when he returned to the dugout before the first inning. Once he got over that moment, he got better. Against Cincinnati, the same team he faced in his debut 10 years ago, he allowed just two hits and two walks.
“We’ve got to get through the first part,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Kyle did a great job in this game. I told some of the young players before the game, this is going to be a day you’ll never forget. You’re going to remember this day. I guess.”
It was memorable — Hendricks had been pitching in front of friends and family the same way he had for nearly a decade: pitching for contact and getting help from the defense. In his last start, he struck out only two batters, but still kept the Reds out.
“I couldn’t have pictured it any better,” teammate Ian Happ said. “He perfectly embodies what it means to be a Chicago Cub, not just for his accomplishments on the field, but for who he is as a person. It’s important to honor that in this game. is.”
After the game, Happ addressed the entire team in front of Hendrix and read out his career statistics, much to everyone’s awe. Hendricks started 275 regular season games, all for the Cubs, posting a 3.68 ERA. He led the Cubs to the World Series with a dominant performance over Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, winning the ERA title in 2016 with a 2.16 mark.
A few days later, he started Game 7 of the World Series against Cleveland, keeping the team in the game until the Cubs won, breaking a 108-year championship drought.
This season brought challenges as Hendriks struggled early in the year. He posted a 12.00 ERA in April and 7.63 in May, leading to speculation that he would be released.
“I didn’t expect to be here after April and May,” Hendricks said. “There are moments where I shouldn’t have been on this team. Luckily they kept giving me opportunities and things kind of happened.”
Some time in the bullpen proved to be the difference for Hendricks as he found his game again. Including Saturday, his ERA in September was 2.89.
“He’s turned things around since his stint in the bullpen,” Counsell said. “There’s no rest in the league. He was challenged to get better.”
Hendricks wants to continue pitching, but knows that might not be possible with the Cubs. The four-year extension, which includes an option year for this season, expires on Sunday.
“If I had a choice, I’d like to be a Chicago Cub,” he said. “But it’s very difficult. We’re going to have a lot of young, good arms. We’ve got to perform in this game. We just didn’t do that this year. It wasn’t a great year. So the impact is that it could end up somewhere else.
“The door is not closed here, but it will likely end up somewhere else.”
Counsell believes Hendrix can continue to have success even if he’s not in Chicago. The Cubs’ first-year manager was asked why he was so confident.
“You can’t exclude people like that,” Counsell said. “It’s a bet on that person. It’s that simple.”
