Hendricks, Cubs bats rout Steelers — er, Pirates — 21-0 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
By the time this one was over at Wrigley Field on Saturday, Pirates outfielder Diego Castillo was pitching the eighth inning.
Actually, this one was over a long time before that — the Cubs breaking out the bats for a record performance to back an almost perfect Kyle Hendricks in a 21-0 victory over the Pirates.
It was the largest margin of victory for the Cubs in a shutout in the "modern" (post-1900) era, surpassing a 19-0 victory in 1969 over the Padres.
Nico Hoerner delivered four hits and Seiya Suzuki, Willson Contreras, Ian Happ and Alfonso Rivas added three each in a 23-hit attack.
Hendricks (1-1) needed just 76 pitches to complete seven innings, allowing just two hits without a walk and striking out two.
Chicago Baseball
It was the Cubs' first "quality start" of the season and snapped a four-game losing streak.
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