Cubs great Fergie Jenkins to speak at Benedictine

Baseball Hall of Famer and former Cubs pitcher Ferguson "Fergie" Jenkins will be the guest speaker later this month at Benedictine University in Lisle.

Jenkins will take the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in the Goodwin Hall Auditorium at 5700 College Road.

This "Benu Presents: An Evening with" event is open to the public. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $35 for the presentation and a meet and greet.

Jenkins originally signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962, but didn't find success until the Chicago Cubs converted him into a starting pitcher in 1967. In his first year, Jenkins posted 20 wins and a 2.80 ERA with 236 strikeouts.

Jenkins won 20 or more games each year from 1967 through 1972, striking out more than 200 in every season and averaging 314 innings pitched.

His best single-game performance came in the 1967 All-Star Game. He struck out six of the top sluggers in the American League: Harmon Killebrew, Tony Conigliaro, Mickey Mantle, Jim Fregosi, Rod Carew and Tony Oliva.

In 1971, Jenkins became the first Cubs pitcher and the first Canadian to ever win the National League Cy Young Award. He finished 24-13, and walked only 37 batters while striking out 263 in 325 innings.

Jenkins was traded to the Texas Rangers following the 1973 season, and the next year he had a career-high 25 wins and became the first baseball player to win the Lou Marsh Trophy, an award given to Canada's top athlete. His 25 wins remain a club record.

He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.

The right-hander is one of only four pitchers in major league history to record more than 3,000 strikeouts with fewer than 1,000 walks. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.

Visit www.ben.edu/speakers to purchase tickets. For more information, contact Nicole Placek at nplacek@ben.edu or (630) 829-6406.