36 Facts About Ferguson Jenkins

Ferguson Jenkins played Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1983 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox.

Ferguson Jenkins was a National League and Cubs All-Star for three seasons, and in 1971, he was the first Canadian and Cubs pitcher to win a Cy Young Award.

Ferguson Jenkins was a 20-game winner for seven seasons, including six consecutive seasons for the Cubs.

Ferguson Jenkins was the NL leader in wins, in 1971, and the American League leader in wins, in 1974.

Ferguson Jenkins played basketball in the off-season for the Harlem Globetrotters from 1967 to 1969, and pitched two seasons in Canada for the minor league London Majors following his major league career.

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Ferguson Jenkins became the first Canadian to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991; he remained the only one until Larry Walker's election in 2020.

Ferguson Jenkins's father, a chef and chauffeur, was the son of immigrants from Barbados, while his mother was a descendant of American slaves who escaped through the Underground Railroad before settling in Southwestern Ontario.

Talented athlete, Ferguson Jenkins competed in track and field, ice hockey, and basketball in his school years, lettering five times.

Ferguson Jenkins honed his pitching skills by throwing pieces of coal from a local coal yard, aiming at either an open ice chute or the gaps of passing boxcars.

Ferguson Jenkins was encouraged to continue working on his pitching by Gene Dziadura, a former shortstop in the Chicago Cubs minor league system, and a Philadelphia Phillies scout.

In 1962, Ferguson Jenkins was signed by Philadelphia Phillies scout Tony Lucadello.

Ferguson Jenkins made his major-league debut as a 22-year-old in 1965, as a relief pitcher.

Ferguson Jenkins would become one of the best pitchers in the majors.

Ferguson Jenkins finished tied for second in the Cy Young Award voting, following Mike McCormick of the San Francisco Giants.

Ferguson Jenkins was selected for the All-Star Game for the first time that season.

Ferguson Jenkins established a reputation for achieving his pitching feats and his statistics while spending most of his career pitching in a "hitter's ballpark"—Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Ferguson Jenkins pitched the complete game for the Cubs, and Billy Williams hit a home run in the final inning for the victory.

Ferguson Jenkins walked only 37 batters versus 263 strikeouts across 325 innings.

Ferguson Jenkins played in the All-Star Game and finished seventh in MVP voting.

Ferguson Jenkins was the first Cubs pitcher and the first Canadian to win the Cy Young Award .

Ferguson Jenkins was outpitched in several statistical categories by New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver, but Jenkins pitched in hitter-friendly Wrigley Field and Seaver worked in pitcher-friendly Shea Stadium.

In 1972, Ferguson Jenkins completed his sixth consecutive season with 20 or more wins.

In 1974, Ferguson Jenkins achieved a personal best 25 wins during the season, setting a Rangers franchise record which still stands.

Ferguson Jenkins finished second in Cy Young Award voting for the second time in his career behind Catfish Hunter in a very close vote ; surprisingly, Jenkins actually finished ahead of Hunter in MVP voting, and his fifth-place finish on the MVP leader-board was the highest of his career.

Ferguson Jenkins was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year by The Sporting News.

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However, Ferguson Jenkins' suspension lasted only two weeks before, in an unprecedented action, an independent arbiter, Raymond Goetz, overturned the suspension and reinstated him and he returned to the league.

Ferguson Jenkins was not punished further by MLB for the incident, as he remained active until his retirement following the 1983 season.

Ferguson Jenkins continued playing professional baseball in Canada after retiring from MLB in 1983 and pitched two seasons for the London Majors, a minor league team of the Intercounty Major Baseball League, operating in London, Ontario.

Ferguson Jenkins led the league in wins twice, fewest walks per 9 innings five times, complete games nine times, and home runs allowed seven times.

Ferguson Jenkins is considered the anchor of the 12 Black Aces, a group of pitchers with at least 20 wins in one season.

Ferguson Jenkins was named the Canadian Press male athlete of the year four times .

Ferguson Jenkins was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, and in 1991, became the first Canadian ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

The 1991 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held in Toronto, was dedicated to Ferguson Jenkins; he threw out the ceremonial first pitch to conclude the pregame ceremonies.

Ferguson Jenkins was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, and was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame in 2001.

Ferguson Jenkins was appointed the commissioner of the now-defunct Canadian Baseball League in 2003; the league's Jenkins Cup went missing when the league folded and has been missing ever since.

Ferguson Jenkins was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2004.