Fergie Jenkins, baseball player, 1965-1983

Fergie Jenkins

⭐ Hall of Fame 1991

Born: 12/13/1942 in Chatham, ON, CAN

MLB Debut: 1965-09-10 | Final Game: 1983-09-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Ferguson Arthur Jenkins

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Biography

Fergie Jenkins, born in 1942, was a dominant pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1965 until his retirement in 1983. He played the majority of his career with the Chicago Cubs, where he became known for his exceptional control, durability, and ability to register strikeouts. Jenkins finished his career with a record of 284 wins and 226 losses, posting an earned run average (ERA) of 3.34 and striking out 3,192 batters. He also recorded 7 saves, showcasing his versatility as a pitcher. Jenkins was a three-time All-Star and earned the prestigious Cy Young Award during his illustrious career, solidifying his status as one of the premier pitchers of his era. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, Jenkins left an indelible mark on the game, particularly in the context of the 1960s and 1970s when pitching was crucial to a team's success. His ability to consistently pitch deep into games made him a workhorse for his teams, and his 284 victories rank him among the all-time greats. Jenkins’ legacy continues to resonate in the baseball world, as he is remembered not only for his impressive statistics and accolades but also for his contributions to the game during a transformative period in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
284 226 664 594 267 49 7 4500.7 4142 1669 484 997 3192 3.34 0

Career ERA 3.34 vs. league average 3.65 across their career seasons — 8.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1965 PHI NL 2 1 7 0 0 0 1 12.3 7 3 2 10 2.19 3.50 (+37%) 2.7
1966 PHI NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.3 3 1 1 2 3.86 — 0.0
1966 CHC NL 6 8 60 12 2 1 5 182.0 147 67 51 148 3.31 3.52 (+6%) -
1967 CHC NL 20 13 38 38 20 3 0 289.3 230 90 83 236 2.80 3.30 (+15%) -
1968 CHC NL 20 15 40 40 20 3 0 308.0 255 90 65 260 2.63 2.98 (+12%) -
1969 CHC NL 21 15 43 42 23 7 1 311.3 284 111 71 273 3.21 3.61 (+11%) -
1970 CHC NL 22 16 40 39 24 3 0 313.0 265 118 60 274 3.39 3.89 (+13%) -
1971 CHC NL 24 13 39 39 30 3 0 325.0 304 100 37 263 2.77 3.47 (+20%) -
1972 CHC NL 20 12 36 36 23 5 0 289.3 253 103 62 184 3.20 3.26 (+2%) -
1973 CHC NL 14 16 38 38 7 2 0 271.0 267 117 57 170 3.89 3.75 (-4%) -
1974 TEX AL 25 12 41 41 29 6 0 328.3 286 103 45 225 2.82 3.63 (+22%) 7591.8
1975 TEX AL 17 18 37 37 22 4 0 270.0 261 118 56 157 3.93 3.71 (-6%) -1547.1
1976 BOS AL 12 11 30 29 12 2 0 209.0 201 76 43 142 3.27 3.51 (+7%) 1675.4
1977 BOS AL 10 10 28 28 11 1 0 193.0 190 79 36 105 3.68 4.00 (+8%) -1162.6
1978 TEX AL 18 8 34 30 16 4 0 249.0 228 84 41 157 3.04 3.69 (+18%) 4820.7
1979 TEX AL 16 14 37 37 10 3 0 259.0 252 117 81 164 4.07 4.00 (-2%) -3031.1
1980 TEX AL 12 12 29 29 12 0 0 198.0 190 83 52 129 3.77 3.84 (+2%) 512.9
1981 TEX AL 5 8 19 16 1 0 0 106.0 122 53 40 63 4.50 3.58 (-26%) -1833.5
1982 CHC NL 14 15 34 34 4 1 0 217.3 221 76 68 134 3.15 3.86 (+19%) -
1983 CHC NL 6 9 33 29 1 1 0 167.3 176 80 46 96 4.30 3.87 (-11%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
665 896 54 148 27 6 13 85 0 41 326 0.165 0.200 0.252 0.452 -5197.3

Career AVG .165 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 35.1% below league average.

Career OBP .200 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 37.5% below league average.

Career SLG .252 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 32.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.452 vs. league average 0.696 across their career seasons — 35.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1965 PHI NL 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1966 PHI NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1966 CHC NL 60 51 6 7 0 1 1 2 0 3 25 0.137 .248 (-45%) .309 (-40%) .376 (-37%) .685 (-39%) 0.0
1967 CHC NL 39 93 5 14 3 1 0 10 0 6 35 0.151 .242 (-38%) .306 (-35%) .357 (-43%) .663 (-39%) -594.0
1968 CHC NL 40 100 4 16 4 0 1 10 0 6 41 0.160 .236 (-32%) .298 (-31%) .340 (-32%) .638 (-32%) -490.7
1969 CHC NL 43 108 6 15 2 1 1 9 0 6 42 0.139 .248 (-44%) .320 (-43%) .369 (-45%) .689 (-44%) -814.8
1970 CHC NL 40 113 4 14 2 0 3 11 0 1 36 0.124 .253 (-51%) .325 (-60%) .385 (-43%) .711 (-51%) -1019.2
1971 CHC NL 39 115 13 28 7 1 6 20 0 7 40 0.243 .249 (-2%) .316 (-11%) .365 (+31%) .682 (+11%) 135.1
1972 CHC NL 36 109 8 20 1 1 1 8 0 5 34 0.183 .243 (-25%) .310 (-29%) .353 (-33%) .664 (-31%) -545.8
1973 CHC NL 38 84 2 10 4 0 0 4 0 6 40 0.119 .256 (-54%) .325 (-45%) .378 (-56%) .703 (-51%) -723.9
1974 TEX AL 41 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1975 TEX AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 BOS AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 BOS AL 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 TEX AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 TEX AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 TEX AL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 TEX AL 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 CHC NL 34 67 2 10 2 0 0 6 0 0 23 0.149 .261 (-43%) .324 (-55%) .388 (-54%) .712 (-54%) -623.1
1983 CHC NL 33 53 3 13 2 1 0 5 0 1 8 0.245 .260 (-6%) .324 (-20%) .389 (-18%) .714 (-19%) -179.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 664 594 363 660 49 45

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 PHI P 7 0 0 1 0 0
1966 PHI P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1966 CHN P 60 12 11 19 3 0
1967 CHN P 38 38 20 49 2 4
1968 CHN P 40 40 14 41 0 5
1969 CHN P 43 42 14 47 4 3
1970 CHN P 40 39 14 39 4 1
1971 CHN P 39 39 31 48 7 1
1972 CHN P 36 36 28 50 2 2
1973 CHN P 38 38 21 53 4 6
1974 TEX P 41 41 24 41 4 3
1975 TEX P 37 37 27 39 5 1
1976 BOS P 30 29 13 23 0 3
1977 BOS P 28 28 24 30 4 1
1978 TEX P 34 30 29 37 1 4
1979 TEX P 37 37 25 50 3 5
1980 TEX P 29 29 24 23 2 3
1981 TEX P 19 16 10 22 0 3
1982 CHN P 34 34 18 30 4 0
1983 CHN P 33 29 16 18 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 664

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-04-28
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-09-13
1974 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1972 TSN All-Star RHP
1971 Cy Young Award
1971 TSN All-Star RHP
1971 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1967 TSN All-Star P

Featured In Rankings

#19
Top 25 Starting Pitchers in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 19 of 25
→

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1978 Cy Young Award AL 6th 2.0 140 0
1974 Cy Young Award AL 2nd 75.0 120 10
1974 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 118.0 336 3
1972 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 23.0 120 0
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 28th 1.0 336 0
1971 Cy Young Award NL 1st 97.0 120 17
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 71.0 336 0
1970 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 16.0 120 0
1970 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 8.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 6.0 280 0
1967 Cy Young Award NL 2nd 1.0 20 1
1967 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 26.0 280 0