Former MLB closer Bobby Jenks, who as a rookie in 2005 secured the last out of the Chicago White Sox’s World Series clincher, is battling advanced stomach cancer.
Jenks, now 43, disclosed the news during an interview with MLB.com, conducted from his hospital bed in Portugal. As Jenks explained, he dealt with a succession of health issues not long after arriving in Portugal, where he and his family moved in order to be closer to his wife’s relatives. Subsequent exams and imaging revealed a tumor in his chest. Scott Merkin writes:
According to Jenks, it has spread all over his stomach lining, into his bones, into his lower back and his hips. He also dealt with an instance where the tumor blew up, bleeding into his stomach and causing severe digestive problems.
The White Sox, the club that first drafted Jenks in 2000 and for whom he played six of his seven MLB seasons, released a statement of support, noting that Jenks has been diagnosed with Stage 4 adenocarcinoma of the stomach:
As for Jenks, his comments to MLB.com suggest he’s treating the news with predictable defiance and determination:
“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. “I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not going to die here in Portugal.
“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 last pitched in the majors for the Boston Red Sox in 2011. Across his seven seasons at the highest level, he pitched to a 3.53 ERA with 173 saves and 351 strikeouts in 357 ⅓ innings. He picked up an additional five saves in nine postseason appearances, across which he posted an ERA of 2.00. Armed with one of the biggest fastballs of his era, Jenks also earned a pair of All-Star selections as a member of the White Sox.
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