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A man with two last names, Canadian-born Jenkins often had a single
letter attached next to his line in the box score – “W”. Jenkins won 284
times in his 19-year career, spent mostly with the Chicago Cubs and
Texas Rangers. He won twenty games six straight years, and seven times
overall. Unfortunately, he never played on a first place team, and thus
was denied the limelight of the post-season. A drug-bust in 1980 marred
Jenkins image, but 11 years later he was voted into the Hall of Fame.
Nicknames
"Jenks"
Played For
Philadelphia Phillies (1965-1966), Chicago Cubs (1966-1973, 1982-1983),
Texas Rangers (1974-1975, 1978-1981), Boston Red Sox (1976-1977)
Post-Season
One of the greatest pitchers who never appeared in the post-season.
World Champion?
No
Ultimate
Games
None
Honors
All-Star (3): 1967, 1971-1972; Cy Young 1971. In an eight year stretch,
from 1967-1974, Jenkins finished in the top three in NL Cy Young voting
five times. In 1967 he was runner-up to Mike McCormick, and in 1974 he
was second to Catfish Hunter.
Stats
Career
stats from baseball-reference.com
Similar Players
Robin Roberts
Players Linked
Bill Madlock, for whom Jenkins was traded... Gaylord Perry and Rod Carew,
with whom Jenkins was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.
Position
Starting pitcher, though the Phillies tried to make him a relief pitcher
in his first two seasons in the major leagues.
Major League Debut: September 10, 1965
Full Bio
Jenkins had several unfortunate runs of bad luck that cost him
notoriety. He lost thirteen games by the score of 1-0, despite going the
distance for the loss. In addition, he suffered 45 shutout losses, the
sixth highest total in history. His teams (Phillies, Cubs, Rangers, and
Red Sox) were basically mediocre - they posted an almost exact .500
record in games Jenkins didn’t get a decision. In his games, they were
.557. In 1969, his Cubs blew a lead and lost the division title to the
Mets. In 1976 he joined Boston the season after they played in the World
Series. With the Rangers he was never able to get to the post-season,
due to poor management and waste of talent. In 1983 he retired with the
Cubs, and the next season they finished first.
Jenkins was born east of Detroit – in Canada. He grew up playing hockey
and wasn’t a pitcher until a teammate hurt his arm and Jenkins was
forced onto the mound. In June, 1962 he was signed to his first pro
contract, by the Phillies. In four seasons in the minors, Fergie went
43-26, and was finally given a shot in September of ’65 with
Philadelphia.
He began the ’66 season in the Phils bullpen, but soon was packaged in a
deal with the Cubs. The Phillies felt they needed veteran pitching to
push them over the top. They traded Jenkins, Adolpho Phillips, and John
Herrnstein to Chicago for pitchers Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl. Both
pitchers better years were behind them – combined they won 47 games for
the Phillies in three seasons. Jenkins would win 282 games for the Cubs
and others. It was one of the worst trades in baseball history.
In his first game with the Cubs, Jenkins slugged a home run and won in
relief. He was inserted in the rotation later in the year, winning six
games. In 1967 he won twenty games for the first time. He followed with
20, 21, 22, 24, and 20 wins the next five years, through 1972. In 1971
he earned the Cy Young award (24-13, 2.77, 263 K’s). His string of
20-win seasons ended in 1973 (14-16), and the Cubs dealt him to the
Rangers for young Bill Madlock. With Texas in ’74, Jenkins won a
career-high 25 games and was voted the Comeback Player of the Year. In
his first start with Texas, he blanked their rival Oakland A’s, 2-0, on
one hit.
After winning 17 games for the Rangers in 1975, he was again traded,
this time to defending AL champ Boston. He was never at home with the
Sox, and struggled to a 22-21 record in two seasons. Once again he was
shipped to Texas, where he anchored a staff that included fellow
castoffs Jon Matlack, Doyle Alexander, and Gaylord Perry. Jenkins went
51-42 in his four-season, second-stint with Texas. The lowlight of the
time with Texas comes on August 25, 1980, in Toronto, when Jenkins is
arrested for possession of cocaine, at Exhibition Stadium. The ensuing
publicity and brief trial cause a stir in Canada, where Jenkins is a
hero. Finally, a sympathetic judge waves a guily verdict and exonerates
Jenkins. MLB suspends Jenkins in September, but that ruling is also
overturned after an arbitrator dismisses the claim.
After the ’81 season, Jenkins was a free agent and few teams showed
interest. In a homecoming story, the Cubs took a chance on the 38-year
old right-hander, signing their old ace. In ’82 he showed some flashes
of his old success, winning 14 games and posting a 3.15 ERA. He finished
up in 1983, struggling and ending up in the Cubs bullpen.
His career was marked by his incredible durability and control. He
struck out more than 3,000 batters and is the only man to do so while
also allowing less than 1,000 walks. In 1991 he was inducted into the
Hall of Fame.
Feats
On May 23, 1980, Jenkins won his 250th game, a 3-1, two-hit victory at
the expense of the Oakland A's... On May 25, 1982, Garry Templeton
became the 3,000th strikeout victim of Jenkins. Jenkins became the
seventh man to reach that plateau.
Uniform #'s
#46 (1965), #30 (1966 Phillies), #31 (1966 Cubs, 1967-1983)
Transaction Data (courtesy
Retrosheet.org)
Signed as an amateur free agent by Philadelphia Phillies (June 15,
1962); Traded by Philadelphia Phillies with Adolfo Phillips and John
Herrnstein to Chicago Cubs in exchange for Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl
(April 21, 1966); Traded by Chicago Cubs to Texas Rangers in exchange
for Bill Madlock and Vic Harris (October 25, 1973); Traded by Texas
Rangers to Boston Red Sox in exchange for Juan Beniquez, Steve Barr and
a player to be named later (November 17, 1975) - Texas Rangers received
Craig Skok (December 12, 1975); Traded by Boston Red Sox to Texas
Rangers in exchange for John Poloni and cash (December 14, 1977);
Granted free agency (November 13, 1981); Signed by Chicago Cubs
(December 8, 1981); Released by Chicago Cubs (March 19, 1984).
Best Season, 1971
His fifth of six straight twenty-victory seasons, Jenkins led the NL in
complete games (30), innings (325), and fewest walks (1.02 per 9
innings). He went 24-13, had a 2.77 ERA, and finished second to Tom
Seaver with 263 strikeouts. It was Seaver who finished second in the Cy
Young voting, as Fergie won his only award.
Milestones
TEXT
Jenkins Breakdown
Below is the record for Jenkins for each of his four teams.
(Team, W-L, Pct, ERA, K) Phillies, 2 -1 .667 2.46, 12 Cubs, 167-132 .559
3.20, 2038 Rangers, 93-72 .564 3.56, 895 Red Sox, 22 -21 .512 3.47, 247
Replaced
Dick Elssworth, the defacto ace of the Cubs staff prior to JEnkins'
emergence in 1967. Jenkins was placed in the rotation in '67 and won 20
games the next six years.
Replaced By
After Fergie retired following the '83 season, Rick Reuschel took over
for Jenkins on the Cubs as the resident veteran starting pitcher, in
'84.
Best Strength as a Player
Control - he averaged 55 walks per 250 innings pitched.
Largest Weakness as a Player
His teammates |
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Transactions
| June 15, 1962:
Signed by the
Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent.
April 21, 1966:
Traded by the
Philadelphia Phillies with
John Herrnstein and
Adolfo Phillips to the
Chicago Cubs for
Larry Jackson and
Bob
Buhl.
October 25, 1973:
Traded by the
Chicago Cubs to the
Texas Rangers for
Bill Madlock and
Vic Harris.
November 17, 1975:
Traded by the
Texas Rangers to the
Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later,
Juan Beniquez, and
Steve Barr. The
Boston Red Sox sent
Craig Skok (December 12, 1975) to the
Texas Rangers to complete the trade.
December 14, 1977:
Traded by the
Boston Red Sox to the
Texas Rangers for
John Poloni and cash.
November 13, 1981:
Granted Free Agency.
December 8, 1981:
Signed as a Free Agent with the
Chicago Cubs.
March 19, 1984:
Released by the
Chicago Cubs. |
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