Cardinals pick up first win of 2026 as longtime Cubs ace finally retires

Over the last decade, there have been a lot of good starting pitchers in the NL Central. From Paul Skenes to Hunter Greene, even the contemporary aces match up really well with the likes of old guard bulldogs like Jon Lester and Adam Wainwright.

However, for all of that talent that has proliferated through the division in recent years, no one has had the St. Louis Cardinals' number quite like Kyle Hendricks. Even after leaving the Chicago Cubs for the Los Angeles Angels last offseason, "The Professor" still found a way to shove against the Redbirds.

Well, in an offseason filled with questions, St. Louis did at least receive one piece of good news this week: After reportedly mulling retirement, Hendricks is officially calling it quits on his storied career.

Cubs legend Kyle Hendricks retires, finally letting Cardinals rest

Though his final season in Los Angeles didn't go to plan, Hendricks was a consistent force in the NL Central for the first decade of his career. He recorded a 3.79 ERA in 1,745 career innings, winning an ERA title and World Series championship in 2016.

Of course, much of his best work came in the division's most historic rivalry, as Hendricks simply knew how to navigate the Cardinals' lineup every time he stepped to the mound.

In 29 career starts against St. Louis (28 with the Cubs), Hendricks authored a 14-4 record and 2.53 ERA with 122 strikeouts in 185 innings pitched. He effectively threw an entire season's worth of ball against St. Louis in his career and pitched like a Cy Young candidate. That kind of domination against any on franchise is incredibly rare, and it coincided with the Cubs' rise to prominence after years of being the "little brother" in the rivalry.

Infamously, Hendricks threw an 81-pitch shutout against the Cardinals in 2019 in one of the most mind-numbing baseball games this century. That qualified his performance as a "Maddux" (fewer than 100 pitches in a complete-game shutout), which is fitting considering Hendricks got his professor nickname straight from Greg Maddux.

The only truly bad start I can remember Hendricks having against St. Louis came in the 2015 NLDS. Down 1-0 to the top-seeded Cardinals, Hendricks got crushed in Game 2 in St. Louis, surrendering three runs (all on solo home runs) in just 4 2/3 innings. The Cubs went on to win that game (and that series), but it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the soft-tossing righty in the postseason.

Now, his career has reached its end, and though he deserves celebration for the role he played in the Cubs' curse-busting championship, I think I speak for all Cardinals fans when I say: good riddance.