Luke Hales/Getty
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner gave the visitors dugout a thumbs up from second-base, after hitting a line drive into the left-field gap to win a battle against former teammate Kyle Hendricks.
Hendricks, backing up home plate as Ian Happ scored, took a breath and strode back to the mound. Hoerner, who’d nodded to Hendricks before his first at-bat, caught a glimpse of a meaningful look from the veteran right-hander.
“Always kind of funky when you face someone you know well, especially somebody you’ve had a lot of baseball conversations with,” Hoerner said after the Cubs’ 4-3 win against the Angels on Sunday.