"We just couldn’t put it together"- Kyle Hendricks rues missed chances after Cubs get officially eliminated from postseason contention

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks lamented the team's failure to earn a postseason berth following the 5-1 defeat to the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field on Saturday. Hendricks believes the Cubs did not perform at a high level consistently over the season to secure their first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

The Cubs carried high hopes for the year after signing former Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell on a five-year, $40 million contract, the largest-ever in the MLB. The team made a bright start under their new skipper and led the National League Central at the end of April. However, they went under .400 over the next couple of months, which dropped the team down to the bottom of their division.

Nevertheless, the Cubs posted a 34-21 record through July and August to make a late comeback for postseason contention. But they could not sustain their momentum in September as the Brewers comfortably sealed the NL Central title before the Cubs were ruled out of the Wild Card race on Saturday.

Kyle Hendricks, the starting pitcher for the Cubs against the Nationals, pondered their elimination while talking to reporters after the game.

“It was a tough year, obviously,” Kyle Hendricks said. “Just up-and-down. It just seemed like we’d catch steam and then couldn’t maintain it."

“Just a really up-and-down year," Hendricks added. "Not surprising we’re at about .500. Just how it went for us this year. When we played our good baseball, played fundamental, we could beat anybody. But we just couldn’t put it together for the full year this year.”

Craig Counsell won three division titles in nine years with the Brewers, but he has been unable to weave his magic with the Cubs thus far. They ended with an 83-79 record in 2023 and are projected to finish the year around the same mark, so there has been no real improvement under Counsell as yet.

Kyle Hendricks likely to part ways with the Cubs this offseason

Kyle Hendricks was picked by the Texas Rangers in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB Draft before they traded the right-handed pitcher to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline the following year. Hendricks made his big league debut for the Cubs in 2014 and finished in seventh place in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

In 2016, Kyle Hendricks produced the best season of his career, finishing with a 16-8 record and leading the MLB with a 2.13 ERA in the regular season. He was instrumental in the postseason and started Games 3 and 7 in the World Series, helping the Cubs to finally clinch the title after 108 years.

At present, Kyle Hendricks is the only surviving member of that World Series-winning team on the Cubs roster today. The 34-year-old had signed a five-year, $70 million extension, which is set to expire at the end of this season. Hendricks has posted a 4-11 record with a 6.25 ERA in 2024, so he is unlikely to remain with the Cubs next year.