Kyle Hendricks moves up Cubs’ postseason list for pitching dominance

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Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks delivers a pitch against the Nationals during Game One of the NLDS at Nationals Park on Oct. 6. | Getty Images

To fans who know their history, it’ll come as no surprise that three of the four pitchers who have at least two of the Cubs’ 20 most dominant postseason pitching performances played in the team’s dead-ball glory days.

As ranked by game score, Mordecai Brown is listed four times and Orval Overall three in 1906-08, when the Cubs won three National League pennants and two World Series. Hippo Vaughn is listed twice in the 1918 Series.

The fourth is Kyle Hendricks, who cracked the top 20 for the second time when he pitched seven scoreless innings in the Cubs’ 3-0 playoff-opening victory Friday against the Nationals.

Hendricks’ game score was 76, 14th in Cubs postseason history. He already owned the No. 7 spot with a game score of 80, which he earned when he allowed two hits in 7„ innings as the Cubs blanked the Dodgers 5-0 in the NL Championship Series last season.

Here’s a quick refresher on how game score works: Starting pitchers begin with 50 points. They add a point for each out and another for each strikeout. Each inning completed beyond the fourth is worth two points. Subtractions are one point for each walk, two for each hit or unearned run and four for each earned run.

In beating the Nationals, Hendricks tacked on six points for pitching three innings beyond the fourth, 21 for batters retired and six for strikeouts, building his total to 83. He lost a point for each of his three walks and two points for each of his two hits, leaving his game score at 76.

Any low-hit, low-walk, low-run performance will score well, but big-strikeout pitchers have the opportunity to pile up the points.

The best game score in Cubs postseason history — 88 — came in the NL wild-card game in 2015, when Jake Arrieta went the distance, struck out 11, walked none and allowed five hits as the Cubs beat the Pirates 4-0.

Others in the recent past include Mark Prior (82, sixth), who pitched a complete-game two-hitter with seven strikeouts and four walks in a 3-1 victory against the Braves in the NL Division Series in 2003; and Jon Lester (77, tied for 12th), who allowed five hits, struck out five and walked none in eight innings to stop the Giants 1-0 in the NLDS last season.

The highest game score in postseason history for any team is 98 by Roger Clemens in the 2000 American League Championship Series for the Yankees. He blanked the Mariners 5-0 while pitching all nine innings, allowing one hit, striking out 15 and walking two.

A strong game score doesn’t ensure victory. Jack Pfiester, tied for 20th on the Cubs’ list at 74, allowed three runs and four hits, struck out nine and walked two in nine innings in the 1906 World Series. But Pfiester lost when Ed Walsh scored 94, tied for fifth in history, by allowing two hits, striking out 12 and walking one in the White Sox’ 3-0 victory.

Follow me on Twitter @GrochowskiJ.

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