By Fred Mitchell
At long last, Ferguson Jenkins received the call.
The Cubs plan to retire the No. 31 he and future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux wore during a special ceremony May 3 before the Cubs host the Florida Marlins at Wrigley Field.
"I knew eventually it would happen," Jenkins said Wednesday from Arizona. "It is good for the fans. It's important fans recognize it, as well as the organization. I am having family members come down and friends I made over a couple of decades playing for the organization."
Jenkins was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 but has had to wait as the uniform numbers of former teammates Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ryne Sandberg were retired.
Jenkins insists he does not know why the Cubs delayed his honor.
"No, not really," he said. "When they had a day for me the year I went into the Hall, I thought it would have happened then. But nobody ever brought it up.
"You know, there's a time to do things, and unfortunately it just wasn't that time."
Jenkins said he originally requested No. 30 from the Cubs when he was acquired with Adolfo Phillips and John Hernstein from the Phillies in 1966 for Bob Buhl and Larry Jackson. Cubs clubhouse man Yosh Kawano informed Jenkins that young left-hander Kenny Holtzman wore that number.
"My birthday is Dec. 13, so I reversed the numbers to make it 31," Jenkins said.
Maddux is the only pitcher in big-league history to win at least 15 games in 17 consecutive seasons. He earned a record eighteen Gold Gloves and won more games during the 1990s than any other pitcher. He's eighth on the career victory list with 355, 133 for the Cubs.
Maddux came up with the Cubs in 1986 after being selected in the second round of the 1984 amateur draft.
"I remember walking down the stairs into the clubhouse. I got called up in September from (Triple A Iowa)," Maddux said. "[The No. 31 jersey] was there in my locker. Being 20-years-old at the time, the last thing I was going to do was complain about my number. I was just happy to be there."
Maddux said he soon learned Jenkins had been the previous Cubs player to wear No. 31.
"I thought that was pretty cool that they gave me Fergie's number," Maddux said.
Jenkins won 284 games for the Cubs, Phillies, Rangers and Red Sox and captured the National League Cy Young Award in 1971.
Jenkins won 20 games six straight years for the Cubs, and seven times overall. Yet, he never played on a first-place team or in the postseason.
He was named an All-Star three times: 1967, 1971 and '72. During an eight-year stretch from 1967-1974, Jenkins finished in the top three in NL Cy Young voting five times and second twice.
"They took [No. 31] off the list last year. And the year before they wouldn't let [Ted] Lilly wear it. So I thought eventually it would happen after Greg Maddux retired," Jenkins said.
Maddux's first stint with the Cubs was from 1986 to '92. The Cubs famously allowed him to get away through free agency when he signed with the Atlanta Braves, where he flourished from 1993-2003 and won a World Series in 1995 and captured three of his four Cy Young Awards.
"You know what, both [the Cubs and Braves] were very special to me," Maddux said. "Of course, I came up with the Cubs, and it kind of ended with the Cubs (2004-06). I know I spent the last few years on the West Coast (with San Diego and the Dodgers). But that was more for family reasons and selfish reasons. But when you talk about loyalty--Chicago and Atlanta … both places were great. I spent 11 great years in Atlanta and 12 with the Cubs, counting the minor leagues. I love both places."
The Cubs plan to retire the No. 31 he and future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux wore during a special ceremony May 3 before the Cubs host the Florida Marlins at Wrigley Field.
"I knew eventually it would happen," Jenkins said Wednesday from Arizona. "It is good for the fans. It's important fans recognize it, as well as the organization. I am having family members come down and friends I made over a couple of decades playing for the organization."
Jenkins was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 but has had to wait as the uniform numbers of former teammates Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ryne Sandberg were retired.
Jenkins insists he does not know why the Cubs delayed his honor.
"No, not really," he said. "When they had a day for me the year I went into the Hall, I thought it would have happened then. But nobody ever brought it up.
"You know, there's a time to do things, and unfortunately it just wasn't that time."
Jenkins said he originally requested No. 30 from the Cubs when he was acquired with Adolfo Phillips and John Hernstein from the Phillies in 1966 for Bob Buhl and Larry Jackson. Cubs clubhouse man Yosh Kawano informed Jenkins that young left-hander Kenny Holtzman wore that number.
"My birthday is Dec. 13, so I reversed the numbers to make it 31," Jenkins said.
Maddux is the only pitcher in big-league history to win at least 15 games in 17 consecutive seasons. He earned a record eighteen Gold Gloves and won more games during the 1990s than any other pitcher. He's eighth on the career victory list with 355, 133 for the Cubs.
Maddux came up with the Cubs in 1986 after being selected in the second round of the 1984 amateur draft.
"I remember walking down the stairs into the clubhouse. I got called up in September from (Triple A Iowa)," Maddux said. "[The No. 31 jersey] was there in my locker. Being 20-years-old at the time, the last thing I was going to do was complain about my number. I was just happy to be there."
Maddux said he soon learned Jenkins had been the previous Cubs player to wear No. 31.
"I thought that was pretty cool that they gave me Fergie's number," Maddux said.
Jenkins won 284 games for the Cubs, Phillies, Rangers and Red Sox and captured the National League Cy Young Award in 1971.
Jenkins won 20 games six straight years for the Cubs, and seven times overall. Yet, he never played on a first-place team or in the postseason.
He was named an All-Star three times: 1967, 1971 and '72. During an eight-year stretch from 1967-1974, Jenkins finished in the top three in NL Cy Young voting five times and second twice.
"They took [No. 31] off the list last year. And the year before they wouldn't let [Ted] Lilly wear it. So I thought eventually it would happen after Greg Maddux retired," Jenkins said.
Maddux's first stint with the Cubs was from 1986 to '92. The Cubs famously allowed him to get away through free agency when he signed with the Atlanta Braves, where he flourished from 1993-2003 and won a World Series in 1995 and captured three of his four Cy Young Awards.
"You know what, both [the Cubs and Braves] were very special to me," Maddux said. "Of course, I came up with the Cubs, and it kind of ended with the Cubs (2004-06). I know I spent the last few years on the West Coast (with San Diego and the Dodgers). But that was more for family reasons and selfish reasons. But when you talk about loyalty--Chicago and Atlanta … both places were great. I spent 11 great years in Atlanta and 12 with the Cubs, counting the minor leagues. I love both places."
0 comments:
Post a Comment