Former Chicago White Sox pitcher and 2005 World Series champion Bobby Jenks died from cancer at age 44 on July 4.
Major League Baseball confirmed that Jenks passed away in Sintra, Portugal, where he was undergoing treatment for an advanced form of adenocarcinoma, a type of stomach cancer. He is survived by his second wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, and their children, Zeno and Kate, as well as four children — Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson — from his previous marriage to Adele Romkee.
“Former Chicago White Sox All-Star pitcher and 2005 World Series Champion Bobby Jenks passed away yesterday, July 4, in Sintra, Portugal, where he had been battling adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. He was 44 years old,” the White Sox confirmed via X on Saturday, July 4.
White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf also mourned the loss of “an iconic member of the White Sox family.”
“None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago,” Reinsdorf, 89, added. “He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend, and teammate. He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts.”
Jenks helped end the White Sox’ 88-year World Series championship drought by delivering a scoreless ninth ending against the Houston Astros in Game Four in 2005. (Prior to their World Series win in 2005, the White Sox had not won the league’s championship since 1917.)
Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen referred to Jenks as “one of [his] all-time favorite players” following the announcement of the pitcher’s death.
“I loved that man,” Guillen said. “This is a very sad day for everyone involved with the White Sox. Everyone remembers the moment when I called for the big fella in the World Series, so the bobblehead of that moment will be a great way to keep that moment alive for White Sox fans.”
The former White Sox manager went on, “Everyone has a favorite story about Bobby, so the 2005 reunion [from July 11-13] will be a great opportunity to get together with all his teammates and coaches and relive some of our greatest memories of him.”
Jenks’ historic MLB career included holding the league’s record for retiring consecutive batters, at 41, and he was also a two-time All-Star. He pitched for the White Sox from 2005 to 2010 and then finished out his career with the Boston Red Sox in 2011.
He later worked as pitching coach and general manager for the Grand Junction Rockies, as part of MLB’s Pioneer developmental league. He coached for the Princeton WhistlePigs and the Windy City ThunderBolts as well.
Jenks announced his stomach cancer diagnosis in February during an interview with MLB.com from his hospital bed in Portugal. He confirmed that doctors discovered a tumor in his chest after a CT scan, with cancer ultimately spreading to his stomach lining, lower back, hips and bones.
“Now it’s time to do what I got to do to get myself better and get myself more time, however you want to look at it,” Jenks said at the time. “I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not going to die here in Portugal.”
He continued, “They are not going to put any numbers on it. I wouldn’t even want numbers. You hear stories all the time, ‘Oh, they gave me six months, 25 years ago.’ I don’t buy into that. Whatever happens is going to happen regardless.”
Jenks and his family’s difficulties were compounded when their Pacific Palisades, California home was lost in the Palisades Fire in January. Jenks managed to save his World Series but lost all other memorabilia from his career.
“I’ve got one suitcase left to my name,” Jenks admitted. “It’s all gone. Everything else I’ve ever done. I have everything, first to first. All those things are irreplaceable.”
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