Kyle Hendricks Retires After 12 MLB Seasons

Class is dismissed. After a dozen big league seasons with the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels, former Spokane Indians pitcher Kyle Hendricks—aka "The Professor"—is calling it a career.

Originally selected in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Texas Rangers, the right-hander excelled in his first taste of professional baseball with Spokane that summer, posting a 1.93 ERA, 0.735 WHIP, and 36 K/4 BB in 32.2 innings before a late-season promotion to the Frisco RoughRiders.

Hendricks was traded to the Chicago Cubs organization the next season as a part of the Ryan Dempster deal and reached Wrigley Field just two years later. He made his big league debut with Chicago on July 10, 2014, and finished seventh in National League Rookie of the Year balloting that season after going 7-2 with a 2.46 ERA in 13starts.

Hendricks was solid again in 2015 (8-7, 3.95 ERA) but took it to another level in 2016, finishing 16-8 with a league-best 2.13 ERA (196 ERA+) for the 103-win Cubs. He continued that dominance in the postseason, allowing just 2 ER in 21.1 IP during the NLCS and World Series as the Cubs claimed their first championship in over 100 years.

During his 11 seasons in Chicago, Hendricks won 97 games and recorded a 3.68 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 276 appearances (270 starts). His 270 career starts is tied with Hippo Vaughn for ninth in franchise history while his 1,259 strikeouts rank seventh. Overall, the right-hander finished his MLB career with a 105-91 record, 3.79 ERA, 1.189 WHIP, 1,373 strikeouts, 407 walks, and 146 quality starts in 307 G (301 GS).

In an era ruled by velocity, Hendricks was an anomaly: a soft-tossing control artist who relied on precision, deception, and his Ivy League intellect to become one of baseball's most reliable starting pitchers. Despite rarely cracking 90 mph on the radar gun, The Professor won over 100 MLB games, led the NL in ERA (2016) and K/BB (2020), and of course, brought a title to a championship-starved city—forever etching his name in the annals of Cubs history.

ABOUT THE SPOKANE INDIANS

The Spokane Indians are the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies located in Spokane Valley, Wash. The Indians have played at Avista Stadium, home to the MultiCare Kids Bench Seat, since 1958 and have been a proud member of the Spokane community since 1903. Parking at all Spokane Indians games is FREE. The Spokane Indians Front Office and Team Store are open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.