Today in Cubs history: Kyle Hendricks’ only MLB relief appearance

Kyle Hendricks pitches on July 7, 2016By the middle of the 2016 season, Kyle Hendricks had established himself as a solid rotation starter for the Cubs. He’d made 13 starts after his callup in July 2014 and 32 more in 2015.

Starting 2016 again in the rotation, Kyle made 16 starts through July 4 and posted a 2.61 ERA and 1.045 WHIP.

That’s why it was a bit of a surprise to see Kyle get up in the bullpen, then on the field at Wrigley, and start warming up in the sixth inning of the game Thursday, July 7 against Atlanta. The Cubs were trailing 2-0 at the time, and the Braves had a runner on first and two out. So not only was it a first for Kyle, entering in relief, but he did it in the middle of…