Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
In the first inning of Sunday’s game between the Cubs and Pirates, Chicago broadcaster Jim Deshaies was left with a question: “Kyle Hendricks, what did you do to deserve this, young man?”
It referred to the fact that the pitcher had watched a soft-contact parade—a series of flares, bloops and dribblers—turn into hits that turned into runs. But it may as well have referred to his season as a whole.