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Bobby Jenks, the closer for the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox, died Saturday at the age of 44.
Jenks had been battling adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer.
“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement.
“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. 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 was a fifth-round pick in 2000 out of high school, made his MLB debut in 2005 and immediately burst onto the scene. In 32 games, he pitched to a 2.75 ERA and struck out 11.4 batters per nine.
Because of his rapid success, he earned the closer’s role ahead of the postseason. He appeared in all four games of that Fall Classic and got the final out that snapped the Sox’s 88-year championship drought.
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Jenks was named an All-Star in 2006 and 2007, finishing his career with a 3.53 ERA.
He retired after the 2011 season, spending six of his seven seasons in Chicago and the other with the Boston Red Sox.
During his heyday, he became the second-youngest pitcher to record back-to-back 40-save seasons, doing so in his consecutive All-Star campaigns. He also set a record by retiring 41 consecutive batters in 2007.
Jenks struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction that effectively ended his career, but he became sober in 2012.
Jenks had been undergoing treatment in Portugal when he died. He was diagnosed with the disease shortly after losing his home in the Palisades wildfires earlier this year.
He is survived by his wife and six children, four of whom were from a previous marriage.
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