Cubs Honor Hall Of Famer Fergie Jenkins With Wrigley Statue Unveiling

CHICAGO — When Ferguson Jenkins was a kid growing up in Canada, he never imagined that his hobby of throwing rocks at passing passenger trains would ever land him in the Major Leagues.

But after seeing his first big-league game in Detroit at age 14, Jenkins knew he wanted to be a ballplayer. Yet, even on Friday when the former Chicago Cubs ace had a bronze statue of himself unveiled at Wrigley Field, Jenkins acknowledged that at times, he can’t believe how well things worked out.

Jenkins, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, joins former Cubs legends Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Billy Williams —along with beloved broadcaster Harry Caray — as those who have been immortalized with statues outside of Wrigley Field.

“Believe me, I’m humbled,” Jenkins said at a ceremony outside the ballpark on Friday. “I stand here a proud man, but also humble.”

He added: “As a player, I had three incentives. You played for the team, you played for your family, you played for the fans. I had the best team, the best family, and the best guys to play ball with, believe me.”

Jenkins spent 10 years with the Cubs during three stints in Chicago during his Major League career. He finished his career with 284 victories and a career ERA of 3.34 and 3,192 strikeouts with 267 complete games. He won 20 games seven times in his career, including a career-high 25 games in 1974 with the Texas Rangers, three years after winning the National League Cy Young Award with the Cubs in 1971 when he posted a 24-13 record with 30 complete games.

He finished the year leading the National League in nine statistical categories, including innings pitched with 325. From the plate, he also belted six home runs and drove in 20 runs.

Jenkins finished his career in Chicago in 1983 and ended his 10 years with the Cubs with 401 career starts. The three-time All-Star became a fixture with the Cubs and became known as one of the best to ever put on a uniform for the storied franchise.

“Fergie was an ironman, but he did more than just endure — he prevailed,” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said at Friday’s statue unveiling.

Ricketts added: “Many baseball fans will know Fergie for pitching the complete game, but to all of his friends, he will be known as being a complete person. So today, we immortalize that complete person here in bronze next to his teammates ….and we do that so that Cubs fans today and for generations to come can be reminded of his greatness.”

Friday’s ceremony also included comments from Williams and from Darrin Canniff, the mayor of Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada, where Jenkins grew up. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also announced a proclamation appointing Friday as Ferguson “Fergie” Jenkins Day in Chicago.

Jenkins also threw out the ceremonial first pitch in Friday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks and was the special guest conductor for the Seventh Inning Stretch.

But for Jenkins, as much as being recognized by the Cubs means, he said the permanent statue will serve his children with a reminder of what his time in Chicago meant to his career.

“This statue will be here long after I’m gone, and it’s a great tribute to myself and my family,” Jenkins said…. “It’s nice to know that my grandkids will be able to see Grandpa Fergie for days and years here at Wrigley Field.”