Jenks walked the first batter he faced on four pitches.
However, his fastball was lighting up the stadium radar gun at 98-99 mph. I remember telling my uncle, "If this guy can put that pitch in the strike zone, he's going to be fine."
Three batters later, Jenks had two strikeouts and three outs, and the Sox had a stress-free victory. Little did we know how significant the addition of Jenks to the roster would be.
A little more than three months later, the then-24-year-old right-hander was on the mound in a much more stressful situation.
It was the ninth inning of Game 4 of the World Series. The Sox were leading the Houston Astros 1-0, looking for a sweep and their first championship since 1917. Tying run on second base, two outs.
Jenks got the out he needed for the Sox, getting Orlando Palmeiro to bounce out to shortstop Juan Uribe. The Sox were champions! It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
On Saturday at my mom's house, my uncle and I were discussing our memories of Jenks' big-league debut, which happened 20 years ago today. Our family gathered this weekend to mark the Fourth of July and my 49th birthday, which is Monday. During our celebration, we got the bad news that Jenks died Friday at age 44, after a battle with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer.
This is a sad time for everyone who is part of the White Sox community. There is only one Sox pitcher to record the last out of the World Series in the past 108 years. That player is Jenks, and that moment will live forever, even though the man who created it is now gone.
Jenks also closed out the division-clinching game in 2005 against the Detroit Tigers, and the clinching game of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. He appeared in all four games of the 2005 World Series, earning two saves.
By 2011, Jenks was out of baseball -- a back injury ending his time in the majors. It was not a long career, but it was a successful one. Here are some of his other accolades:
- 173 saves, second-most in Sox history
- consecutive 40-save seasons (2006-07)
- consecutive All-Star selections (2006-07)
- five saves and a 2.00 ERA in seven postseason appearances
- retired a team-record 41 batters in 2007 (a record later broken by teammate Mark Buehrle)
- had the fifth-most saves in baseball from 2006 to 2010
Jenks was a pitcher ahead of his time. In today's baseball, nearly every team in the league has a stable of relief pitchers who rush the ball up to home plate at 95 mph or more. But in 2005, there were only a handful of guys in the league like that. It got your attention when someone was hitting 98 to 102 mph with consistency.
Jenks' fastball had both high-end velocity and a late cut that made him very difficult to square up. He also had a 12-to-6 breaking ball that he could throw for strikes with consistency. That's a good recipe for a strong closer in any era, but especially in that era, where 98 mph on the gun was uncommon.
Unfortunately, Jenks' death comes a week before the Sox are set to honor the 20th anniversary of the 2005 World Series championship. Events are scheduled throughout next week's home series against the Cleveland Guardians (July 10-13). All Sox fans had hoped Jenks would be well enough to attend those ceremonies. Sadly, that is not the case.
Fortunately, Jenks was in Chicago for SoxFest in 2015, and my girlfriend was able to get his autograph in her 2005 scrapbook (see picture). That signature has always been valuable, but it's a little more cherished right now.
Here's how I would sum up Bobby Jenks: If I had to pick one White Sox relief pitcher from my nearly 50 years of fandom to get three outs in the ninth inning, Jenks is the guy I'd want on the mound.
With all due respect to Bobby Thigpen, Roberto Hernandez and Liam Hendriks, Jenks is the best closer I've had the privilege of rooting for on the South Side of Chicago.
RIP, Bobby Jenks.
