HOUSTON -- As Mike Quade prepared to take the team plane back to Chicago on Sunday, his Cubs interim manager job came to an end.

“I had a great opportunity,” Quade said. “I had fun doing it. I was comfortable doing it, and I look forward to doing it again. That’s the way I’m going to look at this. I’ll leave the nerves out of it and walk away for a while.”

Quade, who took over the manager duties on Aug. 23 after Lou Piniella retired, finished the season with a 24-13 record, the second best in the National League over that span.

Right-hander Ryan Dempster, the losing pitcher in Sunday’s 4-0 finale against the Astros, once again endorsed Quade for the full-time job.

“He does a good job of handling everybody in here,” Dempster said. “He’s done a tremendous job. I hope that [Quade’s chance to manage full-time] is here. He’s ready. He’s proved himself worthy of managing in the big leagues.”

Rookie shortstop Starlin Castro completed the 2010 season hitting exactly .300. Quade held Castro out of Sunday’s game to guarantee him a .300 average. Castro is the first Cub rookie to hit .300 or better since third baseman Bill Madlock hit .313 in 1974.

The Cubs bullpen had 28 consecutive scoreless innings to end the regular season, the longest scoreless streak by a Cubs bullpen since Aug. 13-17, 1982 (29 1/3 innings).