LAS VEGAS — Longtime Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who won an ERA title and a World Series championship during his 12-year big league career, is retiring, his agent said.
Hendricks, 35, played last season with the Los Angeles Angels, going 8-10 with a 4.76 ERA. He spent his first 11 years with the Cubs, winning 97 games with a changeup/sinker combination that kept hitters off-balance. He posted a 3.68 ERA in Chicago, capturing the ERA title in 2016 — the same year the Cubs won the World Series.
Originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2011, Hendricks was acquired by the Cubs the following season and made his MLB debut in 2014, compiling a 2.46 ERA in 13 starts while becoming a regular in Chicago’s rotation.
In 2016 he went 16-8 with a 2.13 ERA, the lowest in baseball. He outdueled Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series that year, throwing 7⅓ shutout innings to help the Cubs clinch their first pennant since 1945. He also started Game 7 of the World Series, which the Cubs won in extra innings to end a 108-year championship drought.
Nicknamed “The Professor,” the Dartmouth alum excelled despite a fastball that rarely topped 90 mph. In later years he was known for mentoring younger pitchers and for a laidback demeanor throughout his career.
Hendricks received a Wrigley Field farewell at the end of the 2024 season, getting a curtain call after 7⅓ shutout innings against the Cincinnati Reds in his final start for the team before free agency. “You could not have drawn that up any better,” teammate Ian Happ said. “He’s a perfect example of what it means to be a Chicago Cub. Not only what he’s done on the field but who he is as a person. It’s important in this game to honor that.”
Hendricks does not currently have coaching or front-office aspirations and plans to spend time with family.
