Fergie Jenkins Cy Young Award (1971)

Lore & Background

Jenkins threw a complete game in 30 of 39 starts in 1971, finishing with a 24–13 record, a 2.14 ERA, and 263 strikeouts against only 37 walks over 325 innings. He also hit six home runs that season.

In Their Own Story

The wind whipping off Lake Michigan carried a crisp October chill into Wrigley Field as Fergie Jenkins tightened his grip on the ball. The stands, though not sold out, hummed with a rare, electric confidence that had been absent for years. He stepped onto the rubber, the red clay solid beneath his cleats, and locked eyes with the batter in the box. There was no panic in his gaze, only the calm calculation of a man who knew he had already conquered the season. With one fluid, rhythmic motion, he delivered a pitch that seemed to hang suspended in the air before snapping into the catcher's mitt. The umpire's call was a strike, but the roar that erupted from the bleachers wasn't just for an out; it was the sound of fans realizing they were witnessing history being written, one perfect inning at a time.

Reader's Guide

Jenkins won 20 or more games in six consecutive seasons for the Cubs (1967–1972) and later won 25 games for the Texas Rangers in 1974. He did not win 20 games for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Did You Know?

• Jenkins led the NL in complete games in 1967, 1970, and 1971, and led the AL in complete games in 1974.
• He was the first Canadian to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1991.
• Jenkins also played basketball for the Harlem Globetrotters in the off-seasons from 1967 to 1969.