Bobby Jenks in 2010. Credit :
Ron Vesely/MLB via Getty
- Bobby Jenks, a former Chicago White Sox pitcher and World Series champion, died of stomach cancer on July 4 at age 44
- Jenks died in Portugal, where he was to be closer to his wife’s family after their home burned in the California wildfires
- The father of six played seven seasons in the MLB
Bobby Jenks, a former Chicago White Sox pitcher and World Series champion, has died of stomach cancer. He was 44.
The White Sox announced on social media that Jenks, a father of six, died on Friday, July 4, in Sintra, Portugal, where he had been to be closer to his wife’s family after their Pacific Palisades home burned in the California wildfires.
His death comes five months after Jenks revealed he had stage 4 adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer.
“Bobby will forever hold a special place in all our hearts 🤍,” the White Sox account on X wrote alongside a tribute video of Jenks.
Fellow White Sox alum, catcher A.J. Pierzynski, also paid tribute to his former teammate, writing on X, “Bobby you will be missed. Prayers to his family. Huge guy with a huge heart.”
Pierzynski ended his post with, “#2005forever 💔,” in reference to them winning the MLB World Series in 2005.
In an interview with MLB.com from his hospital bed in Portugal in February, the former MLB All-Star player discussed his cancer diagnosis.
“You know, the shit I was doing in my 20s and early 30s, no normal person would have survived. So, in one way, I’m grateful to be alive,” Jenks said. “In another way, I’m not surprised this happened.”
“It goes to show you have to take care of yourself from top to bottom with nutrition and exercise and having a good daily plan,” he continued.
Bobby Jenks pitching in 2009. John Cordes/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty
“I’m not saying you need to turn yourself into a Greek god, but you need to watch what you put into your body,” he added. “Unfortunately, in my 20s, it was the last thing on my mind, being worried about what was going in. I’m not saying that’s 100 percent the factor of what happened here.”
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MLB.com highlighted Jenks’ unforgettable rookie season in 2005 when his first pitch for the White Sox “registered 102 mph on the stadium scoreboard” and his last pitch that season “induced a World Series sweep-ending groundout … setting off celebrations and tears of joy across White Sox nation.”
Jenks, a two-time All-Star, played in the MLB from 2005 to 2011, ending his professional career with the Boston Red Sox.
