Jake Arrieta’s legacy with the Cubs isn’t confined to what he accomplished on the field.
A big part of his worth can be traced to what he meant to his Cubs teammates inside the clubhouse and on the bench.
And when Kyle Hendricks began his major-league career with the Cubs in 2014, it was Arrieta who took a personal interest in the rookie and taught him the ropes.
“Jake was really the guy when I first got called up who took me under his wing,” Hendricks recalled last August. “Sitting on the bench, talking about hitters, talking about teams, game-planning, how to survive at this level, and more importantly see his work ethic, his work between starts — his sides sessions, his cardio.”
All those lessons continue to serve Hendricks well. Now Arrieta is gone, and his protege appears to be well on his way to becoming one of the game’s most consistent starters.
Making his 100th career start on Friday, Hendricks allowed one run on four hits over six innings in the Cubs’ game 2-1 loss to the Marlins in 17 innings before a crowd of 12,034 at the echo chamber known as Marlins Park.
Cubs fans always have appreciated Hendricks, but he always has pitched in the shadows of bigger stars in Arrieta and Jon Lester.
Going into Friday’s game, Hendricks’ 2.94 career earned-run average was second among all active pitchers with 75 or more starts, trailing only Clayton Kershaw’s 2.36. He probably doesn’t get the recognition he deserves because his fastball isn’t in the mid-to-upper 90s, the trendy “velo” that everyone seems to have these days.
“I think it’s based on velocity,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s not a hard thrower, so people wonder how or why he’s as effective as he is. It’s because of deception and movement. Go ask a hitter, man. To be deceived from the mound and have great movement from the pitcher’s perspective is a lot more difficult than somebody you see really well who throws very hard.”
Hendricks didn’t hit 90 mph on the radar gun Thursday, mostly hovering between 86-88 mph on a perfect, 76-degree night with the roof open. He wasn’t quite as dominant as he was in spring training, walking three and hitting a batter.
But that deception and movement kept the Marlins off balance for much of the night, and Hendricks kept the Cubs in the game while the offense desperately tried to get its act together against Marlins starter Caleb Smith and a slew of relievers.
In the fifth inning, Hendricks managed to induce two double play grounders in a row, which is difficult to do with only three outs to an inning. With a man on first, Derek Dietrich grounded to third for a 5-4-3 double play, only to see the call reversed on a Marlins’ challenge. Undeterred, Hendricks promptly coaxed Starlin Castro to ground to short, resulting in a 6-4-3 double play.
Maddon removed Hendricks for pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella in the seventh, even though Hendricks had thrown only 88 pitches and seemed primed for one more inning.
Like it or not, that’s the way the game is played these days, as Hendricks knows all too well.
The Cubs bullpen did its job after Hendricks left, and Carl Edwards Jr. reacted like it was October instead of March when he struck out Chad Wallach with the bases loaded to end the eighth.
Everyone was a little more pumped up, thanks to a pro-Cub crowd in the otherwise morgue-like ballpark where kitsch is king.
Thursday’s opener was emotional for Anthony Rizzo in his return to his hometown, and Friday was another day for the Cubs to blow off pre-game routines and give back to the Parkland, Fla., community trying to recover from the Feb. 14 school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High.
Before the game, the Cubs players, coaches, Maddon and President Theo Epstein went over and met with four families of the victims of the shooting. Stoneman Douglas grad Rizzo, who knew someone from each family, later joined some of the Marlins in catching the ceremonial opening pitches from family members.
“It doesn’t surprise me that the guys went out there and showed them that kind of respect,” Maddon said. “I don’t anticipate it to change. It’s going to be like this for a long time here, and it’s all about our guys, the kind of leadership, the front office. … There’s a method in place that really promotes this kind of interaction.”
Rizzo said letting the community know it has the Cubs’ support is the only thing they can really do.
“As far as the healing process, it’s helping some,” he said. “I’m sure some are hoping it will go away and go back to normal. Every day as time passes, you feel (more normal).”
Twitter @PWSullivan
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