Initially, I thought I’d be attending game 162 as well, but circumstances including a new venture ended my regular season yesterday afternoon at Wrigley Field. For the most part, the weather was perfect for a ball game-unless you were a hitter hoping to pad your stats.

I don’t remember attending a game with perpetually grey skies (no sunshine at all), 16 mph winds out of left field and 67 degrees temperature and never feeling a chill. However, the winds played havoc on the egos of 18 position players.

For a crowd that would eventually total 38,180, I was surprised by how quiet the neighborhood was leading up to first pitch. It seemed like 20,000 fans arrived in the 4th inning. I broke pregame tradition and stopped at the local Raising Cane’s for a snack before a surprise Cincinnati BP session. Batting practice before the penultimate game of the season is a rarity in this era. Hitting against a friendly face, throwing BP is nothing like facing an 11-year veteran making his last Cubs start.

I don’t know how many Cub fans were expecting a second straight Cubs shutout, but that’s what we got and not just because of the wind. The guys in the booth probably cited twenty examples of balls hit 100+mph, but nothing was close to getting out yesterday. Routine fly balls were being pushed back to the infield dirt. More importantly, Kyle Hendricks was Vintage Hendricks.

Every so often you get to witness a contrast of styles and form. Yesterday was a perfect example with the Professor doing battle against the 22-year-old, Rhett Lowder who was making his 6th career start. The righty with the long tresses and herky-jerky delivery proved to be as effective for five shutout innings. His command was not spectacular, and he only struck out one batter.

Through the first seven innings, the Cubs mustered only three singles, three walks and twelve of the twenty-one outs were fly balls. It wasn’t just the wind either.

Upon hearing that I was attending this game, a friend said, enjoy seeing Elly. He was referring to the Reds dynamic shortstop, Elly De La Cruz. The 22-year-old has had an incredible season the sole member of the 25(hr)-60+(sb) (25/65) club. Based on what I heard in my section, several Cubs fans were interested to see the fastest man in the game. As physically impressive as De La Cruz is, I wonder if all the stolen bases hadn’t taken its toll on him. He didn’t look all that fast heading down the line.

Back to the star of the day. Hendricks limited Cincy to two singles and two walks over 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball. Of the 26 batters he faced, 21 saw first-pitch strikes-with only a couple swing and miss. To fit the narrative, De La Cruz was one of his two strikeout victims. After getting the first batter in the top of the 8th inning, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy went to the mound to relieve Hendricks of the ball and his duties. The standing ovation was impressive and emotional as most Cub fans believed this was his last outing for the Cubs. Unfortunately, the netting precluding me from getting a great shot.

Because I’m so time conscience, I was the only one in the house that noted how quickly the game was moving (after yesterday’s 1:48 minute gem).

With the game scoreless through 7.5 innings, Cincinnati reliever, Buck Farmer, returned to the mound for the 8th inning. Dansby Swanson immediately doubled-ending Farmer’s day. Without sounding like a broken record, with each hit the Cubs would get, third base coach, Willie Harris would hold the runner at third. Bellinger followed up the double with a single, Suzuki walked, loading the bases. Isaac Paredes pinch-hit for Michael Busch, and blooped a single to center to score Swanson.

Nico Hoerner hit a ball to De La Cruz who forced Bellinger at the plate. Pete Crow-Armstrong singled in a second run with another single, before pinch-hitter, Michael Tauchman’s walk forced in a third run.

End of the season closer, Porter Hodge pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning and earned him his 9th save and preserving the win for Tyson Miller and not Hendricks. That is so Kyle Hendricks as many of us are wondering why he was pulled from Game 7 of he World Series.

The Cubs improve to 83-78 and in only 2:13 minutes. Two shutouts in a row and in only 4 hours and 1 minute. An excellent way to end a regular season!