The Big Lead

Bobby Jenks' former teammate slams ESPN for poorly worded social media post

The death of the former White Sox closer prompted a teammate to call out ESPN for suggesting Jenks was a marginal player on the 2005 World Series champions.

By J.P. Hoornstra

Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at U.S Cellular Field on July 4, 2015.
Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at U.S Cellular Field on July 4, 2015. / Dennis Wierzbicki-Imagn Images
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Former Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks died Saturday, the result of a battle with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. He was 44.

Tributes from former teammates poured in on social media. Ozzie Guillen, Jenks' manager on the 2005 World Series champion White Sox team, wrote: "I’m sad to hear about Bobby. Out of words to describe how I feel. Losing a player and more importantly, a friend is never easy. A fierce competitor with no fear, just power, and a big heart. Heaven got one hell of a closer… and an even better man. Rest easy, Bobby."

When ESPN reported the news in a Twitter/X post Saturday, it chose an awkward way to describe Jenks' role on the 2005 White Sox: "Jenks, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, who was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series, died on Friday in Sintra, Portugal, the team announced."

As a 24-year-old rookie in 2005, Jenks had two saves in the American League Championship Series, and two more in the World Series, as the White Sox swept the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros, respectively. He was the team's most trusted high-leverage relief pitcher.

Jenks averaged 33 saves from 2006-10 in Chicago, making two All-Star teams along the way. His major league career ended in 2011. ESPN's post failed to capture the significance of Jenks' career at its peak — a fact that was not lost on one of Jenks' former teammates.

"This company has fallen so far. So far," former White Sox pitcher Brandon McCarthy wrote on Twitter/X.

To draw on a contemporary analogy, the popular Twitter/X account Foolish Baseball wrote: "When the Dodgers won the World Series last year, Freddie Freeman was on the roster."

Although piling on a Twitter/X account with 58 million followers is somewhat of a national pastime, in this case the criticism is merited. You didn't have to be teammates with Jenks, or even alive when the 2005 World Series was played, to understand why the post was poorly worded. You just had to do your homework.

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