Ferguson Jenkins

Infobox MLB retired


name=Fergie Jenkins
position=Pitcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1943|12|13
city-state|Chatham|Ontario
debutdate=September 10
debutyear=by|1965
debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies
finaldate=September 26
finalyear=by|1983
finalteam=Chicago Cubs
stat1label=Win-Loss record
stat1value=284-226
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=3.34
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=3,192
teams=
* Philadelphia Phillies (by|1965-by|1966)
* Chicago Cubs (by|1966-by|1973, by|1982-by|1983)
* Texas Rangers (by|1974-by|1975, by|1978-by|1981)
* Boston Red Sox (by|1976-by|1977)
highlights=
* 3x All-Star selection (1967, 1971, 1972)
* 1971 NL Cy Young Award
* 1971 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year
* 1974 AL Comeback Player of the Year
hofdate=by|1991
hofvote=75.4%

Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins CM (born December 13 19431943 is the year given throughout his career, and is the year shown in his [http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=116522 Baseball Hall of Fame article] . Some sources, such as Baseball-reference.com, claim a 1942 birthdate for Jenkins.] in Chatham, Ontario, Canada [ [http://www.fergiejenkinsfoundation.org/site_fergie.htm The Fergie Jenkins Foundation Inc ] ] ) is a right-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was a three-time All-Star, winner of the 1971 Cy Young Award, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. To date, he is the last non 300 game winning starting pitcher to be elected by the writers. Jenkins spent most of his career playing for the Chicago Cubs, but also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Boston Red Sox.

Career

Early years

In Baseball Year|1962, he was signed by Philadelphia Phillies scout Tony Lucadello. Jenkins made his major-league debut as a 22-year old in Baseball Year|1965 as a relief pitcher. He was traded the following year to the Chicago Cubs, along with Adolpho Phillips and John Herrnstein, for pitchers Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl. Jenkins would become one of the best pitchers in the majors. In his first full year as a starter for the Cubs (1967), Jenkins recorded twenty wins while posting a 2.80 ERA and 236 strikeouts. He finished tied for second in the Cy Young Award voting, following Mike McCormick of the San Francisco Giants. He was also selected for the All-Star Game for the first time that season. The following year his numbers improved; once again he won twenty games, but his ERA dropped to 2.63 and strikeout total increased to 260. In 1968 Jenkins lost five 1~0 games.

1971 season

Jenkins had his best season in Baseball Year|1971, playing in the All-Star Game, finishing seventh in MVP voting and winning the National League Cy Young Award. He did this despite the fact New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver had a higher winning percentage, fewer losses, fewer hits allowed per nine innings, more strikeouts, more strikeouts per nine innings, more shutouts, and a lower earned run average than did Jenkins. It is generally conceded that Jenkins's accolades for 1971 (arguably Seaver's best season) were in recognition of his pitching performance that were overlooked the previous four seasons. Jenkins won 20 games or more and struck out more than 200 batters each of these seasons while averaging 305 innings pitched and throwing 87 complete games (16 of them being shutouts).

Jenkins was the first Cubs pitcher and the first Canadian ever to win the Cy Young. He received 17 of 24 first place votes. Jenkins also posted a .478 slugging percentage, hitting six home runs and batting in twenty runs in just 115 at-bats.

On April 6, 1971, Jenkins started the Cubs' opening-day game. The Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in 10 innings at Wrigley Field. Jenkins pitched a complete game for the Cubs, and Billy Williams hit a home run in the final inning for the victory. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN197104060.shtml Apr 6, 1971, Cardinals at Cubs Play by Play and Box Score] , Retrieved from baseball-reference.com] On September 1, 1971, Jenkins threw another complete game against the Montreal Expos and had two home runs. The Cubs won the game 5-2. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN197109010.shtml Sep 1, 1971, Expos at Cubs Play by Play and Box Score] , Retrieved from baseball-reference.com]

That season, Jenkins threw a complete game in 30 of 39 starts and received a decision in 37 of them, finishing with a 24-13 record (.649). He walked only 37 batters versus 263 strikeouts across 325 innings. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/jenkife01.shtml Fergie Jenkins Statistics] , Retrieved from baseball-reference.com]

tatistics

Jenkins led the league in wins twice, fewest walks per 9 innings five times, complete games nine times, and home runs allowed seven times. His streak of six straight seasons with 20 or more wins (1967-1972) is the longest streak in the major leagues since Warren Spahn performed the feat between 1956 and 1961.

Jenkins, fellow Cub Greg Maddux (with whom he shared the jersey number 31), Curt Schilling, and Pedro Martínez are the only major league pitchers to ever record more than 3,000 strikeouts with fewer than 1,000 walks. Only Robin Roberts allowed more home runs over a career. Jenkins achieved his 3000th strikeout on May 25, 1982 against Garry Templeton.

In Baseball Year|1974 Jenkins, then with the Texas Rangers (who had acquired him from the Cubs the previous off-season for two players, one of whom was future four-time batting champion Bill Madlock), became the first baseball player to win the Lou Marsh Trophy, an award given annually to Canada's top athlete (he won a career-high, and still a Rangers franchise record, 25 games). He was also named the Canadian Press male athlete of the year four times between Baseball Year|1967 and 1974.

Controversy

In late 1980, during a customs search in Toronto, Ontario, Jenkins was found possessing 3.0 grams cocaine, 2.2 grams hashish, and 1.75 grams marijuana. In response, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended him indefinitely. Jenkins missed the rest of the Baseball Year|1980 season, but in an unprecedented action, an independent arbiter reinstated him and he returned to the game, playing until his retirement following the Baseball Year|1983 season. It has been suggested that this incident delayed his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. [cite web
last = Able
first = Allen
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Fergie Jenkins, 1st Cdn. in Baseball Hall of Fame
work = The Journal
publisher = Archives, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
date = 1991-07-15/2006-08-26
url = http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-41-2340-13544-10/on_this_day/sports/twt
format = HTML/Video
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-04]

Honors

Ferguson Jenkins was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in Baseball Year|1987, and in Baseball Year|1991 became the first Canadian ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in Baseball Year|2004. He was appointed the commissioner of the now-defunct Canadian Baseball League in 2003. Jenkins has been inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. On December 17, 1979, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada for being "Canada's best-known major-league baseball player". [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Honours Order of Canada Ferguson Jenkins, C.M.
work = Members of the Order of Canada
publisher = Governor General of Canada
date = 2006-03-30
url = http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=838
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-04 ] Governor General Michaëlle Jean officiated at his investiture into the Order, which finally occurred on May 4, 2007: over 27years after he was appointed. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink = Canadian Press
coauthors = Canadian Press
title = Jenkins gets Order of Canada
work =
publisher = The Toronto Star
date = 2007-05-04
url = http://www.thestar.com/News/article/210529
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-04]

Notable accomplishments

*His 250 win was against the Oakland Athletics on May 23, 1980.
*The anchor of the 13 Black Aces, a group of African American pitchers with at least twenty wins in one season (although Jenkins is actually not African American, but rather a Black Canadian).
*An outstanding all-around athlete, Fergie played basketball as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
* After Jenkins retired from Major League Baseball in Baseball Year|1983, he pitched for two seasons for the London Majors of the Intercounty Major Baseball League operating in southern Ontario, Canada.
* Jenkins' career is explained (by Tap drummer Mick Shrimpton) in the extra scenes for the movie "This Is Spinal Tap," where a caller to a radio station asks how many shutouts Jenkins acquired during his career.

References and notes

ee also

*List of Major League Baseball players from Canada
*List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
*3000 strikeout club
* List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
* List of Major League Baseball wins champions
* List of Major League Baseball wins champions
* MLB All-Time Hit Batsmen List
*Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time

External links

*bbhof|id=116522
*baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=j/jenkife01 |fangraphs=1006388 |cube=J/fergie-jenkins
* [http://www.fergiejenkinsfoundation.org Fergie Jenkins Foundation]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/J/Jenkins_Ferguson.stm BaseballLibrary.com] - biography
* [http://www.crossandcrescent.com/2006/12/mlb-and-nfl-announcer-josh-lewin/ Sidebar "Texas Ranger Hall of Famer"]
* [http://www.nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=11830&v=h&lg=en&exp=${king}%20AND%20${of}%20AND%20${the}%20AND%20${hill} NFB documentary]

succession box
title = National League Wins Champion
years = 1971
before = Bob Gibson & Gaylord Perry
after = Steve Carltonsuccession box
title = American League Wins Champion
years = 1974
(with Catfish Hunter)
before = Wilbur Wood
after = Catfish Hunter & Jim Palmer
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