Kyle Hendricks may have had to do his duty in the bullpen this summer, but the veteran made history with his return to the Chicago Cubs’ starting lineup.
Hendricks took the mound on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, making his 17th start of the season and his 10th since leaving relief duties on June 19. The 34-year-old right-hander went 5.0 innings in the Cubs’ eventual 6-5 victory, allowing one earned run, five hits and zero walks.
It was also the 263rd start of Hendricks’ major league career, which he spent entirely in Chicago.
As noted by TSN’s StatsCentre, Hendricks has now made the 10th most starts in Cubs franchise history, tying with Larry Corcoran before Friday’s appearance.
With Hendricks’ contract expiring in the offseason, it remains to be seen if he can move further up the list.
Hippo Vaughn currently ranks ninth with 270 starts, followed by Carlos Zambrano in eighth place with 282. The Cubs’ all-time record is held by Fergie Jenkins with 347 starts.
Most careers begin in @Boy Franchise history (1876-):
347 – Fergie Jenkins
343 – Rick Reuschel
339 – Charlie Root
339 – Bill Hutchison
298 – Greg Maddux
297 – The man with the glasses
292 – The man with the glasses
282 – Carlos Zambrano
270 – Hippo Vaughn
263 – Kyle Henricks (today 5 IP against TOR)
262 – The man with the glasses pic.twitter.com/SqEKGVnV1Y– StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) 16 August 2024
Hendricks has been with the Cubs since the Texas Rangers traded him as a junior player for Ryan Dempster in 2012. The right-hander made his MLB debut in 2014 and immediately established himself as a key member of the starting lineup.
Between 2014 and 2020, Hendricks went 69-48 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.105 WHIP. He finished seventh in the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year voting, third in the 2016 NL Cy Young voting, and ninth in the 2020 NL Cy Young voting.
Hendricks won an ERA title and a World Series ring in 2016, which remains his best performance as a professional. He even picked up two spots in the NL MVP race, which put him in 23rd place.
Although Hendricks posted far less impressive results between 2021 and 2023, going 24-21 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.288 WHIP, he still remained a full-time starter. However, he was permanently knocked out of the rotation on May 21, 2024, when he was 0-4 with a 10.57 ERA and a 1.989 WHIP.
However, Hendricks has gone 3-6 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.157 WHIP in the three months since. He now ranks seventh in starts since 2015 and 19th in career starts among active pitchers.
The soon-to-be free agent likely has six starts left before the end of the season. With the Cubs at 60-63 and 4.5 games out of the third NL Wild Card spot, a lot would have to go right for him to make his 13th playoff appearance for the club.
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