CHICAGO – If Kyle Hendricks has made his final start for the Cubs, The Professor gave fans one last masterclass in the art of pitching.

On Saturday afternoon, Hendricks took the mound at Wrigley Field – his home for the past decade – and pitched into the eighth inning of a 3-0 win over the Reds. When Hendricks’ day was done, he received a lengthy, rousing standing ovation from the home faithful who packed the old ballpark for the penultimate game of the season.

After Hendricks recorded the first out of the eighth, Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy emerged from the third-base dugout and was given the honor of taking the ball from the right-hander. Hottovy, who has been at Hendricks’ side throughout his Cubs tenure, gave the pitcher a hug as fans recognized the importance of the moment.

Hendricks hugged each of his teammates gathered at the mound and then headed to the dugout, patting his heart and clapping his glove as he walked off the field. Once in the dugout, Hendricks embraced each teammate and staff member before walking back up the steps to raise his cap to the adoring crowd.

For his final act of the season – and perhaps his Cubs career, as Hendricks is set for free agency – the righty silenced the Reds for 7 1/3 innings, using a friendly wind to his advantage. Using his signature changeup-sinker combination, Hendricks enticed contact, ending with two hits allowed, two strikeouts and a wave of outs in the air (11) and ground (nine).

While Hendricks did not pick up the win, the Cubs mounted an eighth-inning rally to find the win column as a team. Dansby Swanson led off with a double and later scored via a pinch-hit RBI single from Isaac Paredes. That ignited a three-run outburst against the Reds’ bullpen that pushed Chicago’s win total to 83 on the year.