Former MLB closer Bobby Jenks, who as a rookie in 2005 got the final out of the Chicago White Sox’s decisive World Series game, is battling advanced stomach cancer, CBS Sports reported
The 43-year-old revealed the news during an interview with MLB.com, conducted from his hospital bed in Portugal.
Jenks explained that he had to deal with a number of health problems shortly after arriving in Portugal, where he and his family moved to be closer to his wife’s relatives.
Subsequent examinations and imaging studies revealed a tumor in his chest.
“According to Jenks, the tumor has spread throughout the lining of the stomach, bones, lower back and hips. He also had to deal with a case where the tumor exploded, bleeding into the stomach and causing severe digestive problems,” published Scott Merkin, who has been a White Sox reporter for more than 20 years.
Bobby Jenks is a former professional baseball player who played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB)
The White Sox, the club that first drafted Jenks in 2000 and for whom he played six of his seven MLB seasons, issued a statement of support, noting that Jenks has been diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer.
Meanwhile, the reliever himself said that it is time to start improving and have more time in life.
Now is the time to do what I have to do to get better and get more time, however you look at it. I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not going to die here in Portugal.
“They’re not going to put any numbers on me. I don’t even want numbers. All the time you hear stories like, ‘Oh, they gave me six months, 25 years ago’. I don’t believe that. Whatever happens, it’s going to happen anyway,” Jenks added.
The last time Jenks pitched in the majors was for the Boston Red Sox in 2011.
Over the course of his seven seasons at the highest level, he pitched to a 3.53 ERA with 173 saves and 351 strikeouts in 357 1/3 innings.
He earned five additional saves in nine postseason appearances, in which he posted a 2.00 ERA, and had one of the best fastballs of his era; Jenks also earned a pair of All-Star Game selections as a member of the White Sox.
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