Kyle Hendricks named NL Player of the Week |
The Professor was in session!
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks was named National League Player of the Week for his sensational Opening Day start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night. Hendricks pitched a gem allowing only three singles (all to Orlando Arcia), nine strikeouts, and zero walks while accomplishing a rare complete game shutout. It was an historical performance as he had the first Opening Day complete game by a Cubs since Bill Bonham in 1974 and also the first in the MLB since Clayton Kershaw in 2013. He also joined Hall of Famer Bob Gibson and Chris Short as the only pitchers to have nine or more strikeouts and zero walks in a shutout in Opening Day since 1901. The Cubs actually have back-to-back winners of the Player of the Week award (43 weeks later) as Ian Happ won the last award in 2019. Regarding the American League, veteran Nelson Cruz gained the American League honors for Player of the Week. After 43 weeks happily dethroned by The Professor!! https://t.co/AdleT9GQ99 Highlights of his performance: The Professor was pretty ruthless on the first day of class. pic.twitter.com/MUlLi77CTj
