Kyle Hendricks ’12 Helps Cubs Win World Series

Kyle Hendricks in his Dartmouth Uniform

The Chicago Cubs made history in the wee hours of Thursday, November 3rd, 2016 when they won the World Series for the first time in 108 years, ending the longest drought in Major League Baseball History. Kyle Hendricks ’12, only the second Ivy Leaguer to start a World Series Game Seven was a huge part of that effort. After a very respectable 16-8 season with a 2.13 ERA, the former Big Green pitcher posted a dazzling 1.42 ERA in his five postseason starts, according to ESPN.

Hendricks is not a newcomer to big games. According to Dartmouth News, as a freshman, Hendricks won the game that clinched the 2009 Ivy League title and secured Dartmouth’s bid to the NCAA regional tournament—our first in 22 years.

While scouts and sportswriters such as Rian Watt describe Hendricks’s stuff as “pedestrian” and his “skinny frame” prevents him from achieving the type of velocity associated with many major league pitchers, Hendricks still wins games and accolades alike. How does he do it? In the words of Watt, Hendricks “relies on sequencing and a detailed knowledge of hitters’ tendencies—gleaned through hours in the video room—to set up hitters in a way that leads to his success.” His style is reminiscent of Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux who also achieved great success using his mind as much as his arm. Maybe that’s why they share a nickname. All in all, Kyle “The Professor” Hendricks, both World Series Champion and real thinking man is the type of alum that Dartmouth can be very proud of. He certainly has the granite of New Hampshire in his muscles and his brain.