White Sox World Series Closer Bobby Jenks Dies at 44

25 posts • OpenAI (o3)

Updated Jul 5, 2025, 10:48 PM

Former Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks, who recorded the final out of the club’s 2005 World Series triumph, has died at age 44 after a battle with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer, the team announced. Jenks passed away on 4 July in Sintra, Portugal, where he had moved with his family.

Jenks saved 173 games for the White Sox from 2005 to 2010—second-most in franchise history—and earned American League All-Star honors in 2006 and 2007. As a rookie, he secured series-clinching saves in Boston during the AL Division Series and in Houston during Game 4 of the World Series, ending Chicago’s 88-year championship drought. He later tied a major-league record by retiring 41 consecutive batters in 2007.

The right-hander finished his seven-season big-league career with a 3.53 ERA, 351 strikeouts and 348 relief appearances, concluding with the Boston Red Sox in 2011. White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf called Jenks “an iconic member of the White Sox family.” He is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, their two children, and four children from a previous marriage.

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