IT SHOULD BE NOTED that the first batter Jenks faced after I wrote the below blog got a hit off of him thus ending the streak. I could blame myself but I will opt to blame the White Sox who sat him a week as the team continued to lose.
Baseball seems to be the sport where the most significance is put on records. Maybe it’s because the game is considerablyslower and fans and announcers have to fill the void with meaningful talking points to keep fans engaged.
For whatever reason, baseball fans can rattle off a plethora of impressive records and feats that may or may not be broken.
Several years ago my favorite team, the Oakland A’s, won an astonishing 20 games in a row. I remember thinking I do not know if I will see this again in my lifetime. I didn’t just mean that the A’s could not repeat this feat, but that it would be very unlikely that any MLB team would win 20 in a row. In fact before the A’s run of 20 consecutive wins, no team had accomplished the feat since the 1920’s.
The A’s wining streak tied an AL record but has faded into obscurity already. Yesterday another very impressive record was tied is very likely to be broken.
Under the cover of the start of the NFL preseason and Barry Bonds’ record breaking homerun, Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks has marched his way into the history books by retiring his 41st consecutive batter.
Closers have quite the challenge finding their way into history as well as the Hall of Fame. Who is the all time saves leader? Who holds the record for most saves in a season? More than likely the names Lee Smith and Bobby Thigpen were not on the tip of your tongue.
It’s in my opinion that baseball closers and goalies in hockey are the two positions that have the most career volatility. Rivera and Hoffman are the exception to the rule as even the best closers find themselves demoted in a short period of time (Brad Lidge, John Rocker, Keith Foulke, Billy Koch, Eddy Guardardo, and the list goes on and on)
With all of this in mind, its time to give love to the stocky fireballer from the Windy City. Jenks has not given up a hit OR a walk since July 17th. In that time frame he has recorded 8 saves and a win in 13 appearances.
Jenks has taken the mound 13x and has retired the side in order 13 straight times in addition to the last two batters he faced on the 17th of July. 6 teams have faced Jenks with the game on the line during this impressive streak and all have come up empty. None of the last 41 professional hitters who have stepped in the box to face Jenks have been able to to get some small talk in with Whitesox first baseman, Paul Konerko. No smalltalk, No hits, no walks, no chance, and most importantly no blown saves.
Jenks has never been revered as an A list closer. In fact most fantasy baseball “experts” had him outside the top ten out of all major league closers. Regardles of the consensus opinion that Jenks was just another arm in the fast revolving closer industry, Jenks is now on the verge of history for accomplishing something insanely improbable.
Jenks is likely to go for the record sometime this week and more than likely will be against my beloved A’s. I am sure the hype will build if and when Jenks break and extends the record. I really hope so because its going to be awhile if we ever see anything like this. How long is this going to go on and who is going to join Jenks in history as being the guy who broke up this remarkable streak?
Regardless whatever Jenks puts the new record at, I have that same feeling that “we might never see this again”. Hitters are too good and the strike is too small for a pitcher to retire 40+ hitters. Its way to easy for hitters to eek out a base hit or work a walk in a tight game. Somehow Jenks has defied the odds and is on the verge of breaking a record that will likely go unnoticed and unappreciated by the sports world. Its not as sexy and memorable as other records we celebrate, but to me 41 consecutive hitters is pretty damn impressive and I am anxious to see just how far he can go even if it comes at the expense of my A’s.
Congrats to Bobby and the defense behind for being so stellar when the game is on the line.
