Bobby Jenks

Robert Scott Jenks (March 14, 1981 – July 4, 2025) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox from 2005 through 2011, and was a two-time All-Star. A relief pitcher, Jenks served as a closer for most of his career, and he ranks second in career saves among White Sox pitchers.

Jenks debuted in the major leagues on July 6, 2005, and was part of the White Sox's World Series–winning team that year, recording the championship-clinching out in Game 4. In 2007, he tied a then–major league record for consecutive batters retired (41), a mark that stood until 2009. His pitching was once clocked at . Following his retirement, Jenks served as a pitching coach and manager in the Pioneer League.

Early life Robert Scott Jenks was born on March 14, 1981, in Mission Hills, Los Angeles. Jenks moved with his family to Spirit Lake, Idaho, where he attended Timberlake High School, and then to Kenmore, Washington, attending Inglemoor High School, but was not able to play baseball because of poor grades.

Since Jenks was ineligible to play the remaining years of his high school career due to poor academic performance, he played in American Legion Baseball, where he attracted the attention of scouts.

Professional career

Anaheim Angels The Anaheim Angels selected Jenks in the fifth round, with the 140th overall selection, of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft. In one minor league game, the radar gun clocked his fastball at .

Chicago White Sox On December 17, 2004, Jenks was claimed off of waivers by the Chicago White Sox for $20,000. He was sent to the club's Double-A affiliate, the Birmingham Barons to begin the 2005 season, posting a 1–2 record with 19 saves and a 2.85 ERA in 35 appearances. Jenks was called up to the major leagues by the White Sox on July 5, 2005. The next day, on his first pitch in Chicago, he threw the ball over the plate at . The White Sox made it to the 2005 World Series, and Jenks pitched in each of the series' four games. The White Sox won the series in four straight games over the Houston Astros, and Jenks pitched a total of five innings and made the series' final pitch. He recorded saves in Games 1 and 4, had a blown save in Game 2, and pitched scoreless 11th and 12th innings in the 14-inning Game 3.

In 2006, Jenks was selected to the American League All-Star team, and finished the season 3–4 with a 4.00 ERA while converting 41 out of 45 save opportunities in 67 relief appearances. Jenks was again selected to the American League All-Star team in . On September 25, 2007, Jenks was named as one of 10 finalists for the "DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award".

In 2007, Jenks pursued a record streak of retiring consecutive batters. On August 10, 2007, Jenks retired his 38th consecutive hitter, Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners, to tie the American League record for most consecutive batters retired in a row, set by David Wells between May 12, 1998, and May 23, 1998, then with the New York Yankees. On August 12, 2007, in a game against the Seattle Mariners, Jenks retired his 41st consecutive batter, the Mariners' Yuniesky Betancourt, tying the Major League record held by San Francisco Giants pitcher Jim Barr, set over two games on August 23, 1972, and August 29, 1972. On August 20, 2007, Jenks allowed a base hit by Kansas City Royals outfielder Joey Gathright, ending his streak of 41 consecutive batters retired. However, Jenks was still able to get a save during the game. Jenks's record is unique in that the previous record holders were starting pitchers. Wells' achievement bookended a perfect game that he pitched on May 17, 1998, while Barr's mark was spread across two games, neither of which was a no-hitter. In contrast, Jenks was perfect for 14 appearances over 27 days (July 17 – August 12). Just two seasons later, his teammate Mark Buehrle broke the record for most consecutive batters retired on July 28, 2009, ending with 45 in a row.

On January 19, 2009, Jenks avoided arbitration and signed a one-year, $5.6 million contract with the White Sox. Jenks finished the season with 29 saves and 3.71 ERA. He avoided arbitration again in 2010, signing another one-year deal for $7.5 million. Jenks, however, had a rough season in 2010, seeing his ERA balloon to 4.44 while making 27 saves and pitching innings with 61 strikeouts in 55 appearances and prompting manager Ozzie Guillen to remove him from the closer role for a period of time.

On December 2, 2010, the White Sox declined to tender him a contract and he became a free agent. He left ranked second in career saves amongst White Sox pitchers.

Boston Red Sox On December 21, 2010, Jenks signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. Jenks struggled for much of 2011 with injuries, going on the disabled list three times during the season. A bicep strain that had sent him to the injured list saw him try to gut it out for the rest of the season. A June game against the Yankees saw him get hurt when trying to throw a four-seam fastball that saw him describe the pain as "almost like a spoon had been shoved into my back." He stated that this is when he started taking pain medication, mostly with Percocet. Teammate Tim Wakefield suggested that Jenks get MRI images on his spine. The images revealed Jenks had bone spurs on his spine that were impacting on his nerves and calcifying tendons. He soon developed a blood clot that moved up to his lung. On September 13, 2011, the Red Sox announced that Jenks had been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism; he soon came down with colitis as well.

On July 3, 2012, Jenks was released by the Red Sox. He sued Wood in 2015 for malpractice. During discovery, Jenks learned Wood was operating on a paralyzed man at the same time as his operation in what was called "concurrent surgery"; indeed, the other patient was already under anesthesia. Jenks told The Boston Globe that he would have had his bone spur surgery elsewhere had he known about the overlapping schedules. On May 8, 2019, Jenks reached a settlement with MGH and Wood for $5.1 million. Jenks argued that neither he nor the other patient received an acceptable level of care due to the concurrent surgeries. He believed Wood rushed his surgery to get to the paralyzed man, and left the serrated edge in his back because "(he) wasn’t as careful as he should have been." Following the 2021 season, he was promoted to manager following the retirement of the team's previous manager, Jimmy Johnson. He received the Manager of the Year award in 2022 after leading the Rockies to a championship. After spending the 2023 campaign as the pitching coach with the Princeton WhistlePigs, he was named manager of the Windy City ThunderBolts on October 26 of that year. He led the ThunderBolts to a 40–56 record in 2024 and was set to return in 2025, before announcing he would be taking a medical leave of absence on February 15, 2025.

Personal life Jenks was married twice, first to Adele Romkee, with whom he had four children, and later to Eleni Tzitzivacos until his death in 2025. , he lived in Malibu, California.

Illness and death In February 2025, Jenks revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage IV gastric adenocarcinoma, a highly aggressive form of stomach cancer. He died from the illness on July 4, 2025, in Sintra, Portugal, at age 44.