ESPN blasted over social media post about death of Bobby Jenks

Jenks was a rookie on the 2005 White Sox, and he played a huge role during the postseason. You could easily make the argument that Chicago would not have won the World Series without him. After compiling a 2.75 ERA across 32 regular-season appearances, Jenks had a 2.25 ERA and 4 saves in six playoff appearances.

ESPN was widely criticized for describing Jenks as merely being “on the roster” when the White Sox won the World Series. Former MLB first baseman Douglas Mientkiewicz was among those who trashed ESPN.

“ESPN should be ashamed and embarrassed for writing something like this! ‘Was on the roster’? He was THE CLOSER on a championship winning team. Do some research before you release something. Have some respect! RIP Bobby Jenks condolences to his family and teammates,” Mientkiewicz wrote.

Countless fans also took aim at ESPN over the wording:

It is unclear if an actual human wrote the X post or if it was AI-generated. Assuming it was the former, there was likely no disrespect intended. Perhaps more credit should have been given to Jenks, however.

Jenks pitched in all four games of the White Sox’s World Series sweep over the Houston Astros, including their 1-0 win in Game 4. With the exception of a blown save in Game 2, he was lights out for most of the playoffs.

Jenks saved 40-plus games for the White Sox in 2006 and 2007 and was named an All-Star both years. The person who wrote the ESPN post was probably more focused on those campaigns and failed to convey how big of an impact Jenks had in 2005.