In a game that stresses power pitching more than ever, Kyle Hendricks may be the unlikeliest Cy Young Award candidate in decades.
The Dartmouth College graduate, Chicago Cubs starter and National League pitcher of the month for August was 9-1 with a 1.27 ERA in his last 14 outings heading into Monday afternoon’s visit to Milwaukee, where the Cubs began a nine-game trip.
By the time they return, the Cubs could have the NL Central Division title in hand, and Hendricks and teammate Jon Lester may be battling it out for the Cy Young.
Hendricks knows he’s a blowfish in a sea full of sharks, using his smarts to give him an edge against opposing hitters.
“The game has taken such a turn to power pitching that I guess my pitching style is more of an anomaly in the game today,” Hendricks said. “But there are also a lot of guys that pitch like me. We never get much recognition, obviously.
“It’s always the power pitchers with the power stuff that are going to get the headlines. There are a lot of guys out there that can flat-out pitch, make pitches, change speeds, because if you can do it and do it well, you can have a lot of success at this level. But obviously the hype just comes with the stuff.”
Hendricks could be the first Cub to lead the majors in earned-run average since Bill Lee posted a 2.66 ERA in 1938. Jake Arrieta was second to Zack Greinke last year, while ex-Cub Greg Maddux won the ERA title four times between 1993-98, all with the Braves.
Amazingly, Hendricks reported to spring training with no assurance he would even be in the rotation. The Cubs had acquired Adam Warren to be a swingman, and Trevor Cahill was also being stretched out in spring training.
It has been a long, strange trip indeed.
“It does feel like a long time ago, really,” Hendricks said. “But this front office and everybody in this organization has had full confidence in me and were very vocal about it, at least to me. It’s given me confidence in turn that I know I just have to come in, do my thing, be who I am and go about my business.
“It’s made it easier for me to have success, obviously because I’m more comfortable in my environment. In my mind, I was fighting for my job. We had four established guys signed for the rotation, so there was one spot open, and with all the guys we brought in … there were so many viable arms that could’ve taken up that spot. Cahill, and so many other options. I had to come in thinking there was competition.”
After Hendricks beat the Pittsburgh Pirates last week, throwing seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 win, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle remarked: “The command, the execution … I thought I was back in 1987 with Greg Maddux on the mound.”
Maddux is the pitcher to whom Hendricks is most often compared. He hasn’t gotten a chance to speak with the Hall of Famer but said he hopes to one day get a chance to talk shop.
“It’s humbling,” Hendricks said of the comparison. “I can see from the pitching style, maybe. I learned a lot maybe from some of his mental approach, the simplified mindset, just trying to make good pitches. He was a big proponent of that. I can see (comparisons) kind of with the velocity and the pitch mix.”
Despite the newfound respect he has received, Hendricks doesn’t really care where he stands in a rotation full of aces. Being No. 3 is fine by him.
“It’s definitely always changing, but Lester and (Jake) Arrieta are the two guys,” he said. “They’ve been there and done it, especially Lester, who has won a World Series. Those are the two horses, and everybody knows that.”