Cubs ace Kyle Hendricks had everything working on Opening Day at Wrigley Field against their NL Central rival Brewers. Needing only 103 pitches to throw a complete game shutout, Hendricks dazzled from start to finish.
It was truly a work of art. He induced weak contact. He got strikeouts with all three of his pitches -- high 80s fastball, bottom-falling-out change and knee-buckling curve -- racking up nine punchouts on the night. He didn't walk anyone and only allowed three singles. Ironically enough, Hendricks threw a perfect game against every Brewers batter except the ninth hitter, Orlando Arcia, who singled all three times he stepped to the plate. What an oddity.
One of those Arcia singles came to lead off the ninth, so then Hendricks had to deal with the top of the Brewers' order with a runner on and no one out while holding just a 3-0 lead. With two outs, new manager David Ross came to the mound to ask if Hendricks was good. "I'm good, I love it, I'm good," he could be seen responding. Ross let him stay and it took just one more pitch for the final groundout.
Hendricks noted after the game on the broadcast that getting former teammate Ross, who was making his managerial debut, his first win was important.
"That was so much fun after being out for so long," said Hendricks of getting back to work. "Just so thankful to be out there and take the field with my guys. We love playing this game and to be able to come back, play for Rossy, get him his first W."
If you're thinking Opening Day shutouts are rare these days from an individual pitcher, you are right. This is just the second Opening Day shutout from an individual starter since 2003. The other one was Clayton Kershaw in 2013. He won his second Cy Young during a run of three in four years, so, yes, I'd say Hendricks' feat on this opening day was pretty ridiculous.
In fact, this was just the fifth Opening Day shutout since 1993. Here's the rest of the club:
- Hendricks, 2019
- Kershaw, 2013
- Hideo Nomo, 2003
- Randy Johnson, 2002
- Bartolo Colon, 2002
The Cubs three runs all came via the longball. Ian Happ nailed a two-run homer in his first plate appearance and Anthony Rizzo provided the insurance with a solo shot in the eighth.
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July 25, 2020 at 10:50AM
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Cubs' Kyle Hendricks joins exclusive club with dazzling Opening Day outing vs. Brewers - CBS Sports
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