Without home field, the Cubs would have to win at least one game on the road to take the division series against the Nats, and they did so with a shutout in Game 1.
In 2017, baseball teams search primarily for one thing when evaluating young pitchers for the draft or for signing: velocity. If you can’t throw 95+, you’re likely not even going to get a second look.
That’s what makes Kyle Hendricks even more enjoyable to watch. He’s a throwback to an earlier era, when pitchers didn’t have to overpower hitters, but instead got them out with location, movement, breaking pitches and intelligence that creates a game plan on how to attack each opposing batter.