Bobby Jenks, 2005 World Series Champion, Passes Away at 44
Former Chicago White Sox pitcher and 2005 World Series champion Bobby Jenks passed away from cancer at the age of 44 on July 4.
Major League Baseball has confirmed that Jenks died in Sintra, Portugal, where he was receiving 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, alongside four other children — Cuma, Nolan, Rylan, and Jackson — from his first marriage to Adele Romkee.
“Former Chicago White Sox All-Star pitcher and 2005 World Series Champion Bobby Jenks passed away on July 4 in Sintra, Portugal, where he was courageously fighting against adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. He was just 44 years old,” the White Sox announced via X.
White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf expressed sorrow over 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 and all that Bobby contributed to the 2005 World Series champions and the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago,” Reinsdorf, 89, added. “He and his family understood that cancer would be his toughest opponent, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend, and teammate. He will always hold a special place in all our hearts.”
Jenks was pivotal in breaking the White Sox’ 88-year World Series championship drought by delivering a scoreless ninth inning against the Houston Astros in Game Four of 2005. (Before their championship in 2005, the White Sox had not won the league’s title since 1917.)
Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen described Jenks as “one of [his] all-time favorite players” after the news of the pitcher’s passing broke.
“I loved that man,” Guillen said. “Today is incredibly sad for everyone connected to the White Sox. Everyone recalls the moment I called for the big guy during the World Series, and the bobblehead commemorating that moment will undoubtedly keep it alive for White Sox fans.”
The former manager continued, “Everyone has a favorite memory of Bobby, and the 2005 reunion [from July 11-13] will be a fantastic opportunity to gather with all his teammates and coaches to relive some of our fondest moments with him.”
Jenks’ remarkable MLB career included holding the record for retiring the most consecutive batters at 41 and being selected as a two-time All-Star. He played for the White Sox from 2005 to 2010 before finishing his career with the Boston Red Sox in 2011.
Later, he served as a pitching coach and general manager for the Grand Junction Rockies in MLB’s Pioneer developmental league. Jenks also coached the Princeton WhistlePigs and the Windy City ThunderBolts.
He revealed his stomach cancer diagnosis in February during an interview with MLB.com from his hospital room in Portugal. Jenks disclosed that doctors found a tumor in his chest following a CT scan, and the cancer ultimately spread to his stomach lining, lower back, hips, and bones.
“Now it’s time to do what I need to do to get better and gain more time, however you want to interpret that,” Jenks stated then. “I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not going to die here in Portugal.”
He added, “They’re not going to assign any numbers to it. I wouldn’t even want them to. You hear stories all the time about ‘Oh, they gave me six months, 25 years ago.’ I don’t subscribe to that. Whatever is meant to happen will take place.”
Jenks and his family faced additional challenges when their home in Pacific Palisades, California, was lost in the Palisades Fire in January. Although Jenks managed to save his World Series trophy, he lost all other memorabilia from his career.
“I’ve got one suitcase left to my name,” Jenks revealed. “It’s all gone. Everything else I’ve ever done. I have everything, first to first. All those things are irreplaceable.”
