CHICAGO — It’s hard to fully capture what Kyle Hendricks has meant to the Chicago Cubs. He’s the last of a bygone era, the only player from the 2016 World Series-winning core who remains — the only one who chose to sign an extension with the team.
Hendricks has repeatedly proved doubters wrong. The ones who said he’d never make it in the big leagues when he was barely touching 90 mph coming up through the minors and those who came out in full force early this season when he struggled mightily.
“What I’ve learned about Kyle, throughout that adversity, it’s what kind of makes Kyle so beloved and what makes him Kyle,” manager Craig Counsell said before the team’s 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday afternoon. “How he conducts himself and how he does his job is so impressive. His mindset is certainly of a warrior. It’s the right mindset. It’s never deterred, never daunted. That’s why he’s been in this league for so long and had so much success and why he’s turned his season around as well.”
Some may look at Hendricks’ 6.35 ERA — where it sits after his five innings of work Friday during which he only gave up one earned run while striking out two and walking none — and wonder how Counsell could suggest he’s turned his season around. Well, that’s just how rough his start was.
During his lowest point this season, Hendricks no longer looked like a usable major-league pitcher. While his 4.73 ERA since returning to the rotation on June 19 doesn’t scream dominance, it’s clear he still has more left in the tank. During a stretch when the Cubs have been hit with multiple pitching injuries, Hendricks has proven to be more than adequate more times than not.
Hendricks has continually shown he’s all about the team. During his struggles, he never pouted. He didn’t push back when asked to go to the bullpen. As a respected veteran, he could have easily let it be known that it wasn’t acceptable or that moving him to a role he’d never known before was disrespectful.
Instead, Hendricks took it in stride and used that time to learn how to become a better pitcher. He’s shared how it taught him to better prepare for games and helped him adjust his routine. He showed no distress over being skipped last time through the rotation while spending a couple of games in the bullpen when the team was in Cleveland. Whatever it takes to win, Hendricks is happy to do.
“He’s a pro through and through,” Ian Happ said. “Same guy every single day. He’s done whatever they’ve asked of him and he’s continued to be a professional. He’s one of the most steady, consistent guys I’ve ever played with. He’s a competitor, a friend and an awesome teammate. To watch him go through some really tough struggles and come out the other side of it and give us a ton of quality innings and do it in a way that only Kyle Hendricks can has been really fun.”
Kyle Hendricks, Nasty 82mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/nrgSXLD6mX
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 16, 2024
Hendricks is beloved by his teammates. They’re keenly aware of what he’s brought to the franchise and want nothing more than to see him succeed.
“We all want the best for Kyle,” Nico Hoerner said. “Everything that he’s experienced and created for the Cubs and this city, he deserves to do things on his own terms, whatever that may be. He’s done so with class every step of the way.”
In the first seven seasons of Hendricks’ career, he was as good as anyone in the game. From 2014-2020, only six starters with at least 800 innings had a better ERA than Hendricks’ 3.13. His 2016 season proved to be one of the best in recent memory as he led all of baseball with a 2.13 ERA and finished third in Cy Young Award voting. This century, only eight times has a pitcher given his team a better ERA while logging 180 or more innings: Clayton Kershaw (three times), Zack Greinke, Jacob deGrom, Jake Arrieta, Roger Clemens and Blake Snell. That same season, Hendricks went on to start — and dominate — the clinching game of the NLCS that fall as well as delivering a spectacular, if short, start in Game 7 of the World Series.
Kyle Hendricks pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 6 of the 2016 NLCS. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
“His longevity and his success is not by chance,” Hoerner said. “It comes from a place of real passion for the game. We show that in different ways, but his is very genuine. He’s a great teammate.”
Whatever happens the rest of this season, it will be impossible for anyone to look at Hendricks’ time with the Cubs as anything but a rousing success. What he’s done on the field has often impressed. But it’s who he is as a person and teammate that truly stands out. Everyone around him has always seen a player who cares deeply about the game.
“He gets really animated and excited just talking about baseball,” Hoerner said. “Whether it’s stuff I’m thinking about hitting, things he’s working on or just watching the game in general. He’s a guy who’s always in the dugout and observing.”
Hendricks getting excited? Yes, it’s true. The man who appears incredibly stoic at all times when on the mound is not emotionless.
“There’s a lot to learn from that,” Counsell said. “It’s not emotionless, it’s focus and concentration on the task at hand. That’s what that is. The wrong word is emotionless. He’s focused on the next moment. That’s a person living in the moment.”
By living in the moment, Hendricks isn’t thinking about what may come next — what could be the end of his Cubs career. Hendricks is a free agent after this season for the first time in his career. But unsurprisingly, he hasn’t spent much time dwelling on what may happen months from now.
“Honestly, it’s not (something I’ve thought about),” Hendricks said. “With the way the year’s gone, I have to lock in on the day to day. I don’t even know if there would be an opportunity if I kept doing what I was doing.”
What has he thought about? Making the playoffs, perhaps one final time with the Cubs, and then making some noise in October. As unlikely as that is — the team is still below .500 and entered Friday night five games back of the final wild card with numerous teams ahead of them — Hendricks still is hoping a strong finish will lead to some fall baseball.
“It would be absolutely awesome,” Hendricks said. “It would mean a ton just making a playoff run in general. Making it in there and playing those types of games. Especially here at Wrigley Field in front of these fans. It doesn’t get any better.”
(Top photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo / Getty Images)
