Sadly, former Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks died Saturday after a battle with stomach cancer. Jenks helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series, recording two saves in the AL Championship Series, including the final three outs in Game 4 to complete the sweep over the Houston Astros.
Chicago dominated the playoffs in 2005, winning 11 of 12 games en route to the World Championship. Jenks saved four of the 11 victories and appeared in seven games – including all four World Series games.
But you wouldn’t know that if you only read ESPN’s post on X reporting Jenks’ death. The media giant simply wrote that Jenks “was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series.” With no other information, one might think that Jenks didn’t participate in the World Series, but that’s obviously not the case.
Of course, fans laid into ESPN for the poor phrasing and for downplaying the importance of Jenks in that 2005 World Series Championship. But it wasn’t just fans.
Former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who was also “on the roster” when the team won the World Series, wrote a response to ESPN:
“He did a whole lot more than just be on the roster! He closed out the World Series!!” Pierzynski wrote.
Another former MLB catcher, Doug Mientkiewicz, also laid into ESPN for the post.
Fans weren’t happy, either.
Truly a poor effort by ESPN in its attempt to eulogize Jenks, who suffered through an extremely rough stretch at the end of his life. Prior to Jenks receiving his devastating cancer diagnosis in March, he lost almost everything he owned in the California wildfires in January.
Following his Major League playing career, Jenks remained in baseball and became a pitching coach for the Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer League. Jenks was named the manager of the team after just one season as pitching coach and won Manager of the Year after leading the team to a championship in his first season.
Until his death, Jenks was the manager of the Frontier League’s Windy City ThunderBolts. He was 44 years old.
