Former Angels Draft Pick Has Stage 4 Cancer, Lost House in Palisades Fire

Bobby Jenks was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels 25 years ago. He was the 140th overall pick in the 2000 Major League Baseball draft.

While Jenks was poised for success in Anaheim, he spent much of his Angels tenure on the injured list because of elbow issues. He was eventually designated for assignment by the Angels in 2004.

It was with with his next team, the Chicago White Sox, that Jenks made his Major League debut on July 6, 2005. The reliever played a key role in Chicago's 2005 World Series title, pitching in four straight games for the White Sox.

Jenks recorded saves in World Series Games 1 and 4 against the Houston Astros. He also pitched a scoreless 11th and 12th inning in a wild Game 3 that concluded in the 14th frame. He is one of two rookie closers to earn a save in the clinching game of a World Series.

Two decades after becoming a World Series champion, Jenks was diagnosed with Stage 4 adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer, and lost his home in the Palisades fire.

Jenks was managing the Windy City Thunderbolts independent professional baseball team during the Palisades wildfires. The former reliever had his World Series ring with him, but all other keepsakes from his baseball career were destroyed.

“I’ve got one suitcase left to my name,” Jenks said, The Los Angeles Times. “It’s all gone. Everything else I’ve ever done. ... All those things are irreplaceable.”

Jenks plans on returning to his position with the Windy City team this year, and hopes to attend the White Sox's 20-year World Series reunion this summer. He currently resides in Portugal with his wife and two of his children.

“Now it’s time to do what I got to do to get myself better and get myself more time, however you want to look at it,” said Jenks, whose family moved to Portugal to be closer to his wife’s family. “I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not going to die here in Portugal.”