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Hendricks spins 1st Opening Day shutout for Cubs since 1974

Nuccio DiNuzzo / Major League Baseball / Getty

Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks dominated the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day, throwing a complete-game shutout on 103 pitches in a 3-0 victory.

Hendricks allowed three hits and no walks while striking out nine in the dominant outing, which marks the first Opening Day shutout by a Cubs starter since Bill Bonham in 1974, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

Hendricks' gem is the third Opening Day complete-game shutout with at least nine strikeouts and zero walks, as the Cubs right-hander joins Bob Gibson (1967) and Chris Short (1968). It's also the first complete-game shutout on Opening Day since Clayton Kershaw's in 2013.

The 30-year-old was making his first career Opening Day start. "The Professor" won the ERA title in 2016 when he helped lead the club to its first World Series title in 108 years and finished third in National League Cy Young voting.

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