In 2005, Bobby Jenks was as much of a cult hero in Chicago as he was a closer. Burly and baby-faced, he was armed with a fastball that touched 100 mph. Jenks was like a storybook character who came out of nowhere and saved a World Series season for the Chicago White Sox.
Literally saved it. He was the man on the mound when they finished a four-game sweep of the Astros in Houston.
Jenks died at the age of 44 on July 4 in Sintra, Portugal, from adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. Jenks, who had managed an independent league baseball team in Chicago in 2024, had recently moved to Portugal to be near his wife’s family. He disclosed his cancer diagnosis in a February story on MLB.com and later opened up to The Athletic’s Sam Blum about his terminal illness, for which there was only treatment, not a cure.
“I’ve come to the realization that it could be six months, or it could be three years,” Jenks said in April. “But I’m ready. And however long it takes, I’m going to be here fighting it.”
Months ago, Jenks said he hoped to make it to the White Sox’s celebration of that 2005 team, which is happening next week in Chicago. In the last week, Jenks told former 670 The Score radio host Danny Parkins that he would appear on his 24-hour radiothon at the end of July to raise money for cancer. Parkins announced that all money raised during that hour would go to Jenks, who also lost his house in the Los Angeles area in the Jan. 2025 Palisades wildfires.
“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement released by the team. “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.”
White Sox manager Will Venable expressed admiration for Jenks’ legacy prior to Saturday’s game in Denver, where the Rockies held a moment of silence to honor the pitcher.
“I never faced him,” Venable said. “But obviously, as a fan of the game, someone who was paying attention, knew his impact on the field, and then coming over here and just understanding the type of person he is, what this organization felt about him and the impact he made on this family. It was incredible. I know it’s a sad day for a lot of people in the organization, a lot of fans. A guy who made a tremendous impact was taken way too soon.”
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
Jenks, who had an unpredictable reputation as a minor leaguer in the Angels system, cost the White Sox $20,000 as a waiver claim in December 2004. He skipped Triple A and was in the majors by July to give the Sox some bullpen help before the All-Star break.
In his first major-league appearance on July 6 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, he walked the leadoff batter but struck out two hitters on curveballs to preserve a lopsided win over Tampa Bay. According to reports from that day, the Sox’s speed gun reported fastballs around 98 mph.
“It’s never like you think it is, it’s 10 times better,” Jenks told reporters of his debut. “Any time you walk the leadoff hitter, you find yourself in trouble half the time, but I just let myself relax after the first hitter and just concentrate on throwing strikes. With as many people as were there, I didn’t hear a single person.”
Jenks could crank it up as high as 102 mph at a time when that wasn’t common. He was used as a late-inning reliever for the rest of the season, earning six saves. When manager Ozzie Guillen would call for him from the bullpen, instead of tapping his right wrist, he would hold his arms out to signify Jenks’ girth.
That only added to his legend.
“Bobby was a larger-than-life figure and fans related to him,” former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who has previously compared Jenks to Paul Bunyan, said in a statement Saturday. “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.”
By late September, Guillen named him the closer and on Oct. 26, Jenks closed out the Houston Astros to give the White Sox their first World Series championship in 88 years. Jenks racked up four saves in the Sox’s dominant march through the playoffs — and that’s with four complete games by the starters in the ALCS.
“Bobby Jenks is a hero in this town. A hero,” Guillen told The Athletic in April.
In a statement on Saturday, Guillen called Jenks “one of my all-time favorite players. 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, so the bobblehead of that moment will be a great way to keep that moment alive for White Sox fans. 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.”
Jenks pitched for the White Sox through the 2010 season, collecting 173 saves and 334 strikeouts in 329 games. Among relievers, he ranks second in franchise history in saves, seventh in strikeouts and sixth in appearances. He was a two-time All-Star (2006-07) and in 2007, he tied a major-league record by retiring 41 consecutive batters.
Jenks only lasted one more season in the majors, pitching for the Red Sox, and won a $5.1 million settlement over a back surgery in Boston that ended his career. He suffered through a painkiller addiction after that surgery. He also told MLB.com he had cut out drugs and alcohol.
Jenks is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos and six children from two marriages.
Sam Blum contributed to this story.
(Photo: Jim Rogash / Getty Images)
