CHICAGO – Chicago Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks will begin his first opening day next Friday, with the go-ahead from teammate Yu Darvish.
Darvish will launch Game 2 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
“I’m excited to get back on the field and have them start counting,” Hendricks said Thursday, in his usual understated style.
Hendricks, 30, is no stranger to big games. He beat Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers to secure the pennant in 2016, and then began Game 7 of the World Series that year.
Manager David Ross said Hendricks is stretched and ready for the shortened season as much as anyone on the Cubs’ staff.
“When I first got here, the narrative was that I couldn’t go through the lineup three times, which makes me laugh now,” Ross said. “He knows how to read swings.”
Hendricks led the majors with a 2.16 ERA in 2016 before becoming a playoff hero. The Cubs acquired the former Texas Rangers eighth-round draft pick in 2012 for right-hander Ryan Dempster. The trade has provided huge dividends.
“Kyle has made us look incredibly good,” said Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer. “It is incredibly difficult to hit.”
Hendricks does not shoot hard, relying on movement rather than speed to induce weak contact. His game has reminded him of many of the old Cubs Greg Maddux.
It took time for Hendricks to prove himself when he started his career as a late-rotation pitcher. But now he’s a mainstay and could provide Ross, the Cubs’ first-year manager, with an important memory.
“When you think about getting the first victory (in the race), if it’s Kyle Hendricks the guy whose name is going to be on that, that’s very exciting for me,” Ross said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a practice game for us or Game 7, I’ve seen the same guy.”
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