Quote from Oladosun Joshua Segun on July 7, 2025, 1:51 PM

Such heartbreaking news for baseball fans and the White Sox community. 💔 Bobby Jenks, the hard-throwing closer who sealed the final out of the 2005 World Series and helped end the White Sox’s 88-year championship drought, passed away on July 4 in Sintra, Portugal, at the age of 44 after battling stage 4 adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer and the team confirmed he's 44.

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf remarked, "We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family," in a statement issued by the team on July 4. "None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago."

"He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend, and teammate," he went on. "He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts."

With his loved ones, Jenks, who played for the Boston Red Sox in 2011 after playing for the White Sox from 2005 to 2010, demonstrated his strength both on and off the field.

"Everyone remembers him as a big guy and tough competitor who could throw 100, but he was really a big teddy bear off the field," In a statement to Major League Baseball, his Chicago colleague Paul Konerko recalled. "Bobby was such a big part of our success and was on the mound at the end of the game for some of the biggest wins in White Sox history. He truly will be missed by all."

Although Jenks officially retired from Major League Baseball in 2011, he continued to play baseball by managing the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League. Jenks is the father of Cuma, Nolan, Rylan, and Jackson with his ex-wife Adele Romkee, as well as Zeno and Kate with his wife Eleni Tzitzivacos. Ultimately, baseball had a central role in every aspect of his life.

"You play for the love of the game, the joy of it," the previous year, he told SoxTV. "It's what I love to do. I'm playing to be a world champion, and that's what I wanted to do from the time I picked up a baseball."

Beyond simply Jenks' condition, which he disclosed to MLB.com in February, it had been a challenging chapter since, while he was receiving treatment, his Los Angeles home burned down during the fierce wildfires earlier this year. He had his World Series championship ring with him, but the fire destroyed much of his baseball memorabilia.

During his battle, Jenks was concentrating on things that were more important than material possessions, even as he lamented the loss of his collection.

Jenks baited the outlet, saying, "Momma did not raise no Cubs fan here." "My job is to do everything I can to keep myself in the best possible mental and physical state I can during the process, especially for the kids."

A true legend gone too soon. Rest in peace, Big Bobby. 🕊️