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Bobby Jenks, a 2x All-Star and World Series champion with the Chicago White Sox, died Friday after a battle with stomach cancer.
He was only 44.
Jenks, one of the most dominant closers in baseball during his 7 season Major League Baseball career, revealed during an interview in February 2025 that he was diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma — a form of stomach cancer.
From a hospital bed in Portugal, where he and his family had recently relocated, he told MLB.com the cancer had spread to different parts of his body, including his bones and stomach lining.
Jenks said he began having health issues not long after moving … and then began to notice a drop in his energy levels in early 2025. He went through a battery of tests, and a tumor was discovered.
To make matters worse for the family, they also lost their home in the States, and nearly all of their belongings, as victims of the Palisades fires.
On the baseball field, Jenks, who had an electric 100+ MPH fastball, was known for his larger-than-life personality … as much as he was for his dominance on the hill.
He was a critical piece of the Sox 2005 W.S. run and was twice named to the All-Star team, in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Jenks spent his final season as a big leaguer with the Boston Red Sox in 2011 … before retiring as a player.
He then went on to coach, and even manage … serving as the skipper for the Rockies minor league affiliate, the Grand Junction Rockies.
Jenks is survived by his six children, and wife, Eleni.
RIP
