Baseball Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between Davenport, Iowa, and Bonney Lake, Wash., at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022.Jenkins will be honoured by his hometown with a new statue in Chatham-Kent, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Gene J. Puskar
CHATHAM, Ont. – Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins will be honoured by his hometown with a new statue.
The city of Chatham-Kent in southwestern Ontario will unveil a nine-foot tall bronze figure of Jenkins on June 10.
It will be an exact replica of a statue made of Jenkins that sits outside of Wrigley Field, the historic home of the Chicago Cubs.
Jenkins had 284 career wins, a 3.34 earned-run average, and 3,192 strikeouts over 19 Major League Baseball seasons.
He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cubs, Texas Rangers, and Boston Red Sox, winning the Cy Young Award as the National League’s best pitcher for Chicago in 1971.
The three-time all-star became the first Canadian inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1991.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2023.