The post Former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks passes away at appeared first on Sox On 35th.
Former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks passed away on Friday in Sintra, Portugal, where he was battling Stage 4 stomach cancer, the team announced on social media. He was just 44 years old.
News of Jenks’s diagnosis orginally came out in a February article by MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. The former right-hander announced he was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Portugal for adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer, after moving abroad to be closer to his wife’s family.
According to Merkin at the time, Jenks dealt with a deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) in his right calf upon first arriving at the facility in October. It was just the beginning of his health issues, which led to additional blood clots in his lungs and eventually a noticeable loss of energy in daily tasks last month. After undergoing tests and having a CT scan done, a tumor in the middle of his chest was discovered.
Jenks told Merkin that the cancer has spread “all over his stomach lining, into his bones, into his lower back and his hips.” He was also dealing with bleeding in his stomach after the tumor ruptured, causing severe digestive problems. Despite the daunting update, Jenks remained positive in his fight and truly battled until the very end.
“Now it’s time to do what I got to do to get myself better and get myself more time, however you want to look at it. I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not going to die here in Portugal.
“They are not going to put any numbers on it. I wouldn’t even want numbers. You hear stories all the time, ‘Oh, they gave me six months, 25 years ago.’ I don’t buy into that. Whatever happens is going to happen regardless.”
Jenks played in the majors for seven seasons from 2005-11, spending most of his time with the White Sox before shipping up to Boston for his final campaign. Most commonly known for his dominance during the 2005 World Series run, Jenks ranks third all-time in saves by a White Sox pitcher. He is also a two-time All-Star and formerly held the major league record for retiring consecutive batters (41).
Complications from a 2011 surgery to remove bone spurs in his back ultimately led to Jenks’ release from the Red Sox and marked the end of his professional career. The right-hander finished with a 3.53 ERA, 173 saves, 3.21 FIP, 1.251 WHIP, and 1.31 K/BB ratio when all was said and done. He later sued the doctor who operated on him in 2015 for malpractice and eventually reached a $5.1 million settlement in 2019.
Last season, Jenks completed his first with the Windy City Thunderbolts located in Crestwood. It was the second managerial stint for the former pitcher, with his first at the helm of the Grand Junction Rockies highlighted by a Pioneer League championship in 2022. That season, the independent team finished with a 62-33 record and Jenks was named Pioneer League Manager of the Year.
On behalf of our entire team at Sox On 35th, we would like to send our sincerest condolences to Jenks’ family, friends, and loved ones. He will be truly missed.
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The post Former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks passes away at appeared first on Sox On 35th.