Bobby Jenks, White Sox World Series-winning closer, dies at 44
Just a few months later, he was a beloved part of the White Sox's surprise championship team. Manager Ozzie Guillen, rather than signaling with his left or right hand, pantomimed Jenks' rotund shape when he wanted to call the closer into the game.
And few were better for a time: Jenks grabbed hold of the closer's job in Chicago late in 2005 and saved four of their 11 postseason victories that season, including Game 4 of the World Series when the White Sox clinched the title with a 1-0 victory at Houston's Minute Maid Park.
Former Chicago White Sox All-Star pitcher and 2005 World Series Champion Bobby Jenks passed away yesterday, July 4, in Sintra, Portugal, where he had been battling adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. He was 44 years old. pic.twitter.com/KDb3I0KL66 — Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 5, 2025
"We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today," White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. "None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago. He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate. He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts."
Jenks etched his name into the major league record books two seasons later, when he tied Jim Barr's record of 41 consecutive batters retired, the first to hold that record as a relief pitcher. Jenks' run came over 14 perfect outings. He was an All-Star in 2006 and 2007, when he saved 41 and 40 games, respectively. He pitched six seasons for the White Sox before closing his career by appearing in 19 games for the 2011 Boston Red Sox.
Jenks died in Sintra, Portugal, the White Sox said, as his stomach cancer progressed to its latter stages. He is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, their two children, Zeno and Kate and four children from a previous marriage: Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
27 minutes ago
- The National
British & Irish Lions select strong side for Brumbies clash
Maro Itoje leads the side as part of a second-row partnership with Joe McCarthy and across the starting XV there are picks considered first choice, including half-backs Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell. Providing X-factor on the bench are back-rower Henry Pollock and versatile playmaker Marcus Smith in an opportunity for both England stars to prove they are ready to take on the Wallabies on July 19. Our team to face the Brumbies in Canberra! 🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 7, 2025 Pollock was due to start Saturday's shaky 21-10 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs but withdrew shortly before kick-off because of a tight calf, an injury that has now healed. The all-Ireland combination of Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose have been chosen in the centres and Blair Kinghorn makes his first start at full-back having joined the squad late because of his Top 14 duties with Toulouse. Tommy Freeman and James Lowe are the favourites to fill the wings against Australia in Brisbane and both are present, with Mack Hansen adding back-three cover from the bench against his former Super Rugby franchise.
The Herald Scotland
29 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
British & Irish Lions select strong side for Brumbies clash
Providing X-factor on the bench are back-rower Henry Pollock and versatile playmaker Marcus Smith in an opportunity for both England stars to prove they are ready to take on the Wallabies on July 19. Our team to face the Brumbies in Canberra! 🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 7, 2025 Pollock was due to start Saturday's shaky 21-10 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs but withdrew shortly before kick-off because of a tight calf, an injury that has now healed. The all-Ireland combination of Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose have been chosen in the centres and Blair Kinghorn makes his first start at full-back having joined the squad late because of his Top 14 duties with Toulouse. Tommy Freeman and James Lowe are the favourites to fill the wings against Australia in Brisbane and both are present, with Mack Hansen adding back-three cover from the bench against his former Super Rugby franchise.
The Herald Scotland
30 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
MLB All-Star snub 2025: Juan Soto among top players left off rosters
Still, sometimes the formula doesn't work in the favor of the game's greatest players, particularly with the X factors of fan voting, the timing of player voting and the stipulation that all 30 teams - yep, even those in the Mountain time zone and the South Side of Chicago - are represented. With that, we take a look at a half-dozen players omitted from the July 6 roster drop, yet may find themselves summoned to the Atlanta suburbs come July 15: Juan Soto, OF, Mets Money can't necessarily buy happiness, and now we know it can't ensure All-Star spots, either. Soto, signed to a record $765 million contract in December, got off to a predictably slow start as he reacclimated to the National League and joined a new lineup. But look at him now: A .396 OBP (second in the NL, fourth in the majors), 21 home runs and a .904 OPS (seventh in the NL). Put those numbers next to another player and you'd say, "Should be an All-Star." Just because they're not quite Sotoesque doesn't mean the man doesn't deserve his fifth Al-Star appearance. And hey, the viewing public does watch this game to, you know, see the stars play. Michael Busch, 1B, Cubs Sometimes it really does come down to timing. Had Busch not waited until the Fourth of July to drop a three-homer game on Chicago's archrivals, he might have scored higher in the player or fan voting. Alas, his .939 OPS (fourth NL, seventh in the majors) and 18 home runs will be free to go fishing next week. The democratization of All-Star voting - thanks largely to online balloting, as opposed to who draws the most fans - is generally a good thing. Yet the Cubs and their 53-36 record - just shy of the Dodgers for best in the NL - are strangely underrepresented with just three selections. Slugging outfielder Seiya Suzuki also has a strong case, but the Cubs will have to make do with the very deserving Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker and Matthew Boyd. Cristopher Sanchez, LHP, Phillies This would have been back-to-back All-Star nods for Sanchez, and deservedly so. He ranks seventh in the NL with a 2.68 ERA and has given up just seven home runs, his 0.62 home runs per nine ranking fifth. He's also in the top 10 in strikeouts per nine innings. While the 6-foot-6 left-hander's strikeout total (108 in 100 innings) pales a bit compared to some electees, the Phillies are 9-2 in the 11 starts in which he's completed at least six innings, and 13-4 in all his outings. Perhaps he'll be the first one to hear his phone ring when Chris Sale (rib fracture) is declared out due to injury. Trevor Megill, RHP, Brewers In this day and age of nasty stuff and bullpen hyper-specialization, it's rare when a capital-C closer is viewed as a snub. Yet Megill has been the busiest and perhaps best of them in the NL so far. He's converted 20 of 23 opportunities, an 87% rate that's second only to the Mets' Edwin Diaz among relievers with at least 13 saves. More notably, the Brewers have been one of the game's best teams and stories all season and have just one All-Star - starter Freddy Peralta - to show for it. A reliever's life is always volatile and there's no guarantee Megill has a season like this going forward. Perhaps he'll get a just reward in coming days. Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays This one's fairly shocking, and more the product of positional glut than anything. The timeless Jose Ramirez won fan voting and was joined by player's vote winner Alex Bregman, both deserving recipients. But Caminero has more than exceeded the breakout year expected of him, with 21 home runs and an .809 OPS. He's probably a little more deserving than Rays teammate Brandon Lowe, who got a reserve nod at second base with 19 homers and an .813 OPS. Caminero's .301 OPS didn't do him any favors, but it's hard to argue with 40 extra-base hits and a .508 slugging percentage before the All-Star break. Framber Valdez, LHP, Astros Valdez should get some measure of revenge come the winter, when he may receive the largest free agent contract among pitchers. For now, his resume speaks pretty well on his behalf: 115 strikeouts in 115 innings, a 2.90 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP. But man, the AL pitching field is so loaded, Valdez's ERA is good for just 11th in the league, and eight of the 10 arms before him got selected. Valdez has one of the top overall profiles when you combine innings pitched, strikeout rate and ERA, but this is a tough crowd to stand out in. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news -- fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
