Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star and 2005 World Series champion with the White Sox, passed away on July 4 after a battle with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. He was 44.
In Game 4 of the 2005 World Series against the Astros, Jenks earned the save with a scoreless ninth inning, inducing a game-ending groundout off the bat of Orlando Palmeiro to end an 88-year championship drought.
“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “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.”
There are only a few people in the White Sox clubhouse whose careers overlapped with Jenks, but regardless of the amount of time they shared with him, Jenks made a lasting impact.
“He was a gamer -- this guy gave you everything he had every single time,” said White Sox hitting coach Marcus Thames, a teammate of Jenks’ from the Arizona Fall League. “I saw him last year. He came to the stadium, and I hadn't seen him in so long, and he gave me one of those big old bear hugs.”
During his time in Chicago, Jenks routinely lit up the radar gun -- endearing himself to the fanbase with his very first pitch, a 102 mph fastball.
“Everyone remembers him as a big guy and tough competitor who could throw 100, but he was really a big teddy bear off the field,” said his teammate Paul Konerko. “Bobby was such a big part of our success and was on the mound at the end of the game for some of the biggest wins in White Sox history. He truly will be missed by all.”
White Sox first base coach Jason Bourgeois was a teammate of Jenks during the club’s 2008 playoff run.
“He was leading by example, calm demeanor, and shoot, [he could] flat out throw the ball,” Bourgeois said. “He embodied the closer role, honestly, he really did. Fun, fun guy, very talkative, communicated great to the young guys, made us feel at home.”
He earned All-Star nods in 2006 and 2007, saving 81 games in that two-year span. At one point in 2007, he retired 41 consecutive batters, which at the time tied a Major League record.
“Bobby Jenks is one of my all-time favorite players,” said his former manager Ozzie Guillén. “I loved that man. This is a very sad day for everyone involved with the White Sox. Everyone remembers the moment when I called for the big fella in the World Series.”
Jenks pitched six seasons with the White Sox from 2005-10, posting a 3.40 ERA across 329 relief appearances and recording 173 saves -- the second-most saves in franchise history behind Bobby Thigpen (201).
“You play for the love of the game, the joy of it,” Jenks said during his last interview with SoxTV in summer 2024. “It’s what I love to do. I’m playing to be a world champion and that’s what I wanted to do from the time I picked up a baseball.”
The Mission Hills, Calif., native closed out his seven-year Major League career in 2011, appearing in 19 games with the Red Sox.
“He came to the Major Leagues with some of the biggest expectations and lived up to them,” teammate A.J. Pierzynski said. “Bobby was a larger-than-life figure, and fans related to him. He overcame a lot early in life to have a great playing career, and after his playing days, he did a lot of positive things to help himself and others."
"I was fortunate enough to catch him in some of the biggest games in White Sox history, and I will never forget jumping into his arms after the last out of the World Series. He will be missed by all of his family, friends and teammates.”
In 2024, Jenks returned to baseball to manage the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League in Crestwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.
“Man, he made it fun,” pitcher Buddie Pindell told MLB.com White Sox beat reporter Scott Merkin in May. “The season didn’t go how we wanted, but it was always a fun time around him.”
The White Sox will have a bittersweet reunion to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the 2005 World Series team at Rate Field on July 11.
“Everyone has a favorite story about Bobby, so the 2005 reunion will be a great opportunity to get together with all his teammates and coaches and relive some of our greatest memories of him,” Guillén said.
The Rockies paid tribute to Jenks with a moment of silence before Saturday's sold-out game with the White Sox. He is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, their two children, Zeno and Kate, and his four children from a prior marriage, Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson. He had been living with his wife and his two youngest children in Sintra, Portugal, to be closer to his wife’s family.