Chicago Cubs: Top 5 moments from the regular season

No. 4: September 12, 2016 — Kyle Hendricks nearly no-hits Cardinals

At this point, the Chicago Cubs have several players who will receive N.L. Cy Young votes when it’s time to hand out yearly awards. We all expected Jake Arrieta to be at the top of the list following his spectacular run, but one man emerged from the shadows.

Totally didn’t mean to make it sound like Kyle Hendricks’ secret identity was Batman. But Hendricks turned into one of Chicago’s most beloved heroes in 2016. Most of all, a solid candidate for the Cy Young at the end of the year.

First of all, Kyle should be considered the ace of this staff for the year. No disrespect to Arrieta but this kid was absolutely lights out throughout the year. In addition, he leads the league in earned run average.

Granted, Clayton Kershaw was out for awhile which opened the door for Kyle to take over as captain of the ship. Over the course of eight innings, Kyle cruised through the Cardinals lineup, striking out seven hitters in the process.

It wasn’t until the ninth inning where St. Louis would finally crack the hit column and scoreboard thanks to their left fielder. Hendricks was ahead 0-2 in the count but left a pitch hanging over the plate.

As a result, outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker hammered a solo home run out to right field, putting an end to Kyle’s night. To our surprise, Cardinals fans joined in on the standing ovation for a man who flirted with history.