Chicago Cubs Fan Favorite Pitcher Makes Franchise History in Latest Start

The Chicago Cubs longtime fan favorite pitching just made franchise history with his outing on Sunday.

Sep 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks (28) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at Dodger Stadium / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Coming down the final stretch of the year, the Chicago Cubs will likely be officially eliminated from playoff contention with their next misstep, something that occurred twice in their weekend series against the lowly Colorado Rockies when they lost from a late grand slam on Friday and in extra innings on Saturday.

With no margin for error, the Cubs handed the ball to their struggling veteran Kyle Hendricks to deliver a gem for them in the finale.

The 34-year-old is having the worst season of his career, seemingly marking the end of his incredible tenure with the franchise he helped win the World Series with in 2016 as one of the game's best starting pitchers.

HIs 6.51 ERA entering Sunday didn't pose a whole lot of confidence he would be able to shut down the Rockies in the hitter's friendly confines.

However, Hendricks turned back the clock and turned in a vintage performance, giving up just one run on two hits across six innings of work where he struck out seven batters.

That performance put himself into the Chicago history books.

#Cubs Kyle Hendricks improved his ERA to 3.28 in six career starts at Coors Field and became the first Cubs pitcher in history to pitch at least six innings while allowing two or fewer hits and one or fewer runs in a start at Coors. #Rockies

— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) September 15, 2024

While the hot stretch by the Cubs to close the year is likely too little, too late, this outing by Hendricks showcased why he has been so beloved by fans during his time with the team.

He kept their playoff chances alive for another day, fighting to put together a good performance on the mound despite the frustrating season he's had on a personal level.

This will be another disappointing year for Chicago after they felt like this roster was good enough to compete for the NL Central title, or at least a spot in the Wild Card round.

The front office has a lot of work to do in the offseason to get them to that point, and it's unclear how Hendricks factors into those plans.

If his tenure with the franchise does end at the end of the year, it's fitting he was able to put his name into the history books before he leaves town.