The Chicago Cubs had to go through one of their own to finish off a much-needed series sweep over the weekend.
After 11 seasons in Chicago, soft-tossing right-hander Kyle Hendricks signed a one-year contract with his hometown Los Angeles Angels last winter. He hasn’t had the best season, continuing his downward trend from his final year in Chicago, but the Cubs still gave him a lot of respect on Sunday.
In a 4-3 victory over Hendricks’ Angels, the Cubs had to fight for their runs. They scored one against the veteran in the third and fourth innings, then forced home two inherited runners in the fifth against reliever Andrew Chafin, saddling Hendricks with the loss.
Though they ballooned the 35-year-old’s season ERA to 5.04, the Cubs showed nothing but respect for the pitcher Hendricks still is after taking home the W.
“The first two innings, especially, he gave us kind of nothing to hit,” manager Craig Counsell said, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“You have to kind of paper-cut Kyle. That’s just how it’s going to work because he’s never going to give in.”
Second baseman Nico Hoerner, who drove in the Cubs’ run in the fourth with a hard-hit double, admitted it was odd to face a pitcher he spent the first six years of his big-league career playing behind.
“Always kind of funky when you face someone you know well, especially somebody you’ve had a lot of baseball conversations with,” Hoerner said, per Lee.
“I’m super happy for him that he’s getting a chance to pitch here, close to where he grew up, and that’s pretty cool for him to share with his family. He’s awesome.”
Hendricks will always be remembered fondly in Chicago. Not only was he the starting pitcher for Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, but he was the last player from that curse-breaking team to remain on the roster.
But on Sunday, he saw the new wave of Cubs baseball in full force.
More MLB: Red Sox Keeping Valuable 7-Year Veteran Role Player After Clearing Waivers
The post Cubs’ Craig Counsell Has Kyle Hendricks Message After Sweep of Angels appeared first on Newsweek.
