Chicago Cubs have no ‘ace debate’ – this is Kyle Hendricks’ rotation

Chicago Cubs turned to Hendricks with history on the line

With 108 years of history on the line, Kyle Hendricks took the ball for the Cubs. The right-hander was the unfortunate benefactor of an unnecessarily short leash from Joe Maddon, but absolutely dazzled.

He allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings of work against Cleveland. In fact, during the entire 2016 postseason, he failed to allow more than two earned runs in a single outing. Ahead of Game 7, Hendricks made three starts (Games 2, 6 in LCS and Game 3 of the World Series). The results were outstanding.

The former eighth-round pick allowed one earned run over 17 innings of work. His 0.53 ERA left fans giddy and his .190 opponent batting average further proved his dominance over the Dodgers and Indians.

Everyone remembers how the World Series ended. But it was Hendricks who closed out the first pennant-clinching win at Wrigley Field. It was Hendricks who took the ball in Game 7 of the Fall Classic.

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It’s time for a changing of the guard. This was Jon Lester’s team. It was certainly his starting rotation. But after a down year and with Jake Arrieta likely moving on to greener pastures, Hendricks’ time is now.