Robert Scott Jenks (born March 14, 1981) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
and
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
from 2005 through 2011.
According to the ''Baseball Almanac'', his fastest pitch was clocked at on August 27, 2005, at
Safeco Field
T-Mobile Park is a retractable roof stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and has a seating capacity of 47,929. It is in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, near the western t ...
. He also threw a
slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
,
changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball.
The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...
, and a hard, sharp-breaking
curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...
. Jenks is third all-time in
saves by a pitcher in a White Sox uniform. Jenks is a two-time All-Star who formerly held the major league record for retiring consecutive batters (41).
Amateur career
Jenks was not able to play with his teammates at
Timberlake High School
Timberlake High School is a four-year public secondary school in Spirit Lake, Idaho. Opened in 1998 at the south end of town, it is the second high school in the Lakeland Joint School District #272 of northern Kootenai County and draws its stud ...
, in
Spirit Lake, Idaho
Spirit Lake is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho. The population was 1,945 at the time of the 2010 census, up from 1,376 in 2000.[Inglemoor High School
Inglemoor High School is a public high school located in Kenmore, Washington, United States. It is one of the largest high schools in the state of Washington and has an average of 30 students per teacher. As of 2017, the student population was ap ...]
in
Kenmore, Washington
Kenmore is a city in King County, Washington, United States, along the northernmost shore of Lake Washington. It is a suburban commuter town at the mouth of the Sammamish River, northeast of downtown Seattle and west of Bothell. The population ...
, because of poor grades.
Jenks did play his sophomore year of high school for Lakeland High School before Timberlake High School was opened in 1998. Since Jenks was ineligible to play the remaining years of his high school career due to poor academic performance, he played in the Prairie Cardinals American Legion program where he dominated as both a pitcher and hitter. During his final season for the Prairie Cardinals, Jenks had 123 strikeouts in 92 innings pitched.
Professional career
Anaheim Angels
Jenks was drafted by the
Anaheim Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
in the fifth round (140th overall) of the
2000 Major League Baseball Draft. In one minor league game, the radar gun clocked his fastball at 100 mph.
During his time with the Angels organization, Jenks spent much of his time on the disabled list because of elbow trouble. Jenks' career with the Angels ended when he was
designated for assignment
Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...
by the team in December 2004.
Chicago White Sox
On December 17, 2004, Jenks was claimed off of waivers by the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
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 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 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
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
, 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. Jenks and
Adam Wainwright
Adam Parrish Wainwright (born August 30, 1981), nicknamed "Waino" and "Uncle Charlie", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Atlanta Braves selected him 29th overall in th ...
of the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
are the only rookie closers to earn a save in the clinching game of a
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
.
![Bobby Jenks on April 17, 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Bobby_Jenks_on_April_17%2C_2008.jpg)
In 2006, Jenks was selected to the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor 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
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
All-Star team in .
[ ] On September 25, 2007, Jenks was named as one of 10 finalist 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
, also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played professionally for 28 seasons. He played nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he began his ...
of the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
, to tie the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
record for most consecutive batters retired in a row, set by
David Wells
David Lee Wells (born May 20, 1963) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams, most notably the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Boomer", Wells was considered on ...
between May 12, 1998, and May 23, 1998, then with the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
.
On August 12, 2007, in a game against the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
, Jenks retired his 41st consecutive batter, the Mariners'
Yuniesky Betancourt, tying the Major League record held by
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
pitcher
Jim Barr
James Leland Barr (born February 10, 1948) is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the San Francisco Giants (1971–1978, 1982–1983) and California Angels (1979–1980).
...
, 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
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
outfielder
Joey Gathright
Joey Renard Gathright (born April 27, 1981) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. He was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Early life
Gathright attended ...
, ending his streak of 41 consecutive batters retired. However, Jenks was still able to get a save during the game.
Jenks' record is unique in that the previous record holders were starting pitchers. Wells' achievement bookended a
perfect game
Perfect game may refer to:
Sports
* Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners
* Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game
* Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...
that he pitched on May 17, 1998. Barr's achievement was spread across two games, neither of which was a
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
. In contrast, Jenks was perfect for 14 appearances over 27 days (July 17- August 12). His teammate
Mark Buehrle
Mark Alan Buehrle (; born March 23, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World S ...
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.
On December 2, 2010, the White Sox declined to tender him a contract and he became a free agent.
Boston Red Sox
After the 2010 season, Jenks signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
on December 21, 2010. Jenks struggled for much of 2011 with injuries, going on the disabled list three times during the season. On September 13, 2011, the Red Sox announced that Jenks had been diagnosed with a
pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an pulmonary artery, artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include dyspnea, shortness of breath, chest pain p ...
. He pitched in 19 games during the season, going 2–2 with an ERA of 6.32.
Surgery complications
On December 12, 2011, Jenks had another surgery, this time to remove
bone spur
An exostosis, also known as bone spur, is the formation of new bone on the surface of a bone. Exostoses can cause chronic pain ranging from mild to debilitatingly severe, depending on the shape, size, and location of the lesion. It is most commonl ...
s from his back. He was supposed to have only two removed. According to Jenks, Dr. Kirkham Wood, head of the orthopedic bone unit at
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...
(MGH), started to remove a third bone spur and didn't finish it. This allegedly created a serrated edge that later sliced Jenks' back open in two places, causing him to leak spinal fluid and triggering an infection in his spine. Jenks was forced to undergo emergency surgery on December 28, only two weeks after his first back procedure. Due to his muscles being "torn open," as he put it, Jenks was bedridden for seven weeks. The Red Sox placed Jenks on the 60-day disabled list, and ruled him out for at least the first three months of the 2012 season.
On July 3, 2012, Jenks was released by the Red Sox. He sued Wood in 2015 for malpractice after learning that Wood was operating on a second patient at the same time as his operation. Jenks told ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' 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.
Coaching career
Beginning in May 2021, Jenks served as the pitching coach for the
Grand Junction Rockies
The Grand Junction Jackalopes are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Grand Junction, Colorado, and play their home games ...
of the
MLB Partner Pioneer League. Following the 2021 season, he was promoted to manager following the retirement of the team's previous manager
Jimmy Johnson.
Personal
Jenks is remarried to Eleni Tzitzivacos, and has five children.
, he lived in
Malibu, California
Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...
.
Jenks became addicted to painkillers shortly after his back injury and at one point was taking "probably up to 60+ pills a day. And, on some days that was probably on the low side." Between March and July 2012, he was arrested and charged twice for driving under the influence of painkillers.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenks, Bobby
1981 births
Living people
Chicago White Sox players
Boston Red Sox players
American League All-Stars
Baseball players from California
Major League Baseball pitchers
Butte Copper Kings players
Cedar Rapids Kernels players
Arkansas Travelers players
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
Arizona League Angels players
Salt Lake Stingers players
Birmingham Barons players
Winston-Salem Warthogs players
Portland Sea Dogs players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
People from Mission Hills, Santa Barbara County, California