Ian Happ honored Kyle Hendricks with a touching tribute in Cubs clubhouse
After the game Saturday, there was a pyrmid of baseballs in plastic cases stacked on a platform next to Kyle Hendricks’ locker.
It was a great gesture from Hendricks’ teammates – the baseball from each out he recorded during what may be his final start in a Cubs uniform at Wrigley Field.
Hendricks was masterful Saturday, tossing 7.1 shutout innings against the Reds and recording 22 outs.
[‘I’m such a lucky guy’: Kyle Hendricks reacts to an emotional day at Wrigley Field]
Once it became apparent that Hendricks would make his final outing on the penultimate day of the 2024 season, Ian Happ knew he had to do something special to honor his longtime teammate.
Happ worked with home clubhouse and equipment manager Danny Mueller and Cubs director of team travel and clubhouse operations Vijay Tekchandani to secure all the baseballs from Saturday’s outing to “commemorate the day.”
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But even more than that, Happ stood in the Cubs clubhouse after the Cubs’ 3-0 win and listed off Hendricks’ accomplishments to honor the 11-year career of the veteran starting pitcher.
“Yeah, that was so incredible,” Hendricks said. “Just shows who Ian is as a human being and just what a friend he is to me. Been an unbelievable ride since 2017 and knowing him even before he got called up.
“For him to do that for me in the clubhouse, in front of everybody, it was super special.”
[WATCH: Hendricks reflects on final start of ’24, Cubs career]
Happ got the idea initially from Dansby Swanson, who takes time each year to highlight the accomplishments players have achieved.
“We don’t know exactly what the future’s gonna hold for Kyle here or elsewhere,” Happ said, “and to honor the contribution that he’s made to this team and this organization. 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, the way that he carries himself, the way that he works.
“It’s important in this game to honor that. I’ve been lucky enough to play with him for 8 years out of the 11, watched him do stuff like that quite a bit. And not only on-the-field stuff, but the personal stuff – see him get married, seeing him become a dad, all that stuff is important. He’s been a big part of my career here.”
[Watch every out of Hendricks’ performance Saturday]
Among the list of the accomplishments Happ listed off was the outing Hendricks had in the 2016 NLCS, pitching the Cubs to the World Series by shutting down the Dodgers.
Happ’s favorite, however, was a streak where Hendricks went 48 starts between August 2015 and May 2017 in which he did not allow more than 4 earned runs in any outing.
“That’s unbelievable,” Happ said. “And then when you think about where he ranks all-time Cubs numbers, I think he’s Top 10 in games started. This organization has been around a long time and they used to let guys go out there every day and start games.
“Just the all-time numbers for the Cubs, the postseason stuff, it’s unbelievable.”
Hendricks currently holds the Cubs record with 11 playoff starts and ranks 7th all-time in strikeouts.
