Right-hander Kyle Hendricks’ velocity became an inside joke between him and second baseman Nico Hoerner.
“I was always kind of on him for whenever he hit 90 miles an hour this year,” -Hoerner said in a conversation with the Sun-Times.
When Hendricks would get up to 90, he’d sneak in a little fist pump later, as if to say, really let that one rip. It was so subtle, Hoerner was one of the only people in the stadium who would notice. But that’s also about as much emotion as Hendricks ever shows on the mound.
“He’s a real easy guy to root for,” Hoerner said. “He’s the best.”
In addition to holding the Pirates to one earned run in six innings Thursday in the Cubs’ 8-6 loss, Hendricks touched 90 mph with his four-seamer and his sinker. It was his last start at Wrigley Field this regular season.
The Cubs could pick up Hendricks’ $16 million club option for 2024, and doing so would make a lot of sense. He has come back from a long shoulder injury to prove he’s healthy — check the velocity! — and put together his best season since 2020. Holding on to a franchise cornerstone for another year would be an easy, low-risk way to fortify the rotation next year.
If for some reason they decide not to pick up his option or rework a new deal, it could have been Hendricks’ last start at Wrigley Field as a Cub.
Hendricks will probably make one more regular-season start, in Atlanta. And then if lefty Justin Steele starts a consequential last game of the regular season, Hendricks is lined up to take the ball in the first wild-card game — assuming the Cubs clinch a postseason berth.
“Kyle Hendricks is the Chicago Cubs to me,” said closer Adbert Alzolay, who credits Hendricks with molding him into the pitcher he is today. “He’s the definition of how to be a Chicago Cub. That’s what I try to explain to every young guy that comes here.”
This time last year, Hendricks was in Arizona, almost three months into his recovery from a shoulder injury, and still a couple of months away from starting a throwing program.
The timeline started raising doubts, at least from the outside, about whether he could recapture the consistency that had defined most of his career. The last couple of years he hadn’t looked quite like the pitcher who had earned a 2016 ERA title and performed in some of the team’s biggest postseason moments.
Manager David Ross likes to reference one moment that’s seared in his memory, from Game 6 of the 2016 National League Championship Series, when Hendricks threw 7⅓ scoreless innings and limited the Dodgers to two hits.
“When I think about his personality, I’ve got images of him walking off the field against the Dodgers, almost no-hit them in the postseason in ’16, just like, no big deal,” Ross said. “Just like he’s out for a morning stroll, walking off the mound.”
So Ross said he wasn’t surprised when Hendricks returned from 11 months sidelined to put up a 3.77 ERA entering Thursday.
“He’s just really solidified our rotation,” Ross said, “and having him in there and his consistency, his demeanor, his track record is really valuable for us.”
Part of Hendricks’ road back included strength work and velocity training — Ross mentioned watching Hendricks “fill out” over the offseason and recover well from start to start.
Hendricks will never be a high-velocity pitcher. The training was more about letting the rest of his arsenal play and promoting good mechanics and health. The results this year suggest the 33-year-old will be able to maintain this kind of performance beyond this season.
His velocity has ticked up, with his four-seamer going from an average of 86.9 mph last year to 87.7 this season — touching 90 mph.
“What I appreciate about him is just how much he’s owned what he does well and stuck to that,” Hoerner said, “and made not just a career out of it, but a pretty legendary career.”
