Fergie Jenkins
The first Canadian-born pitcher in the Hall of Fame, Jenkins mastered the art of durability and control in an era when complete games were currency. His 284 career wins came the hard way — he threw 267 complete games and posted a 3.34 ERA while striking out 3,192 batters across 19 seasons.
What separated Jenkins wasn't overpowering stuff but surgical precision. He walked just 997 batters in 4,500 innings, a microscopic 2.0 rate per nine innings. That control, combined with a devastating slider, made him nearly unhittable when he was on. His 1971 Cy Young season saw him go 24-13 with a 2.77 ERA for the Cubs, becoming the first pitcher to win 20 games for a last-place team.
Jenkins threw six straight 20-win seasons from 1967-1972, a feat matched by only three pitchers in the live-ball era. His longevity stemmed from an almost robotic consistency — he never missed a start due to injury until age 38.
Career · Hitting
19 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | PHI | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | — |
| 1966 | CHC | 61 | 51 | 1 | 2 | .137 | .420 | — |
| 1967 | CHC | 39 | 93 | 0 | 10 | .151 | .404 | — |
| 1968 | CHC | 40 | 100 | 1 | 10 | .160 | .438 | — |
| 1969 | CHC | 43 | 108 | 1 | 9 | .139 | .386 | — |
| 1970 | CHC | 40 | 113 | 3 | 11 | .124 | .351 | 49 |
| 1971 | CHC | 39 | 115 | 6 | 20 | .243 | .761 | 112 |
| 1972 | CHC | 36 | 109 | 1 | 8 | .183 | .458 | 69 |
| 1973 | CHC | 38 | 84 | 0 | 4 | .119 | .344 | 49 |
| 1974 | TEX | 41 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 1.000 | 144 |
| 1975 | TEX | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1976 | BOS | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1977 | BOS | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1978 | TEX | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1979 | TEX | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1980 | TEX | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1981 | TEX | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1982 | CHC | 34 | 67 | 0 | 6 | .149 | .326 | 46 |
| 1983 | CHC | 33 | 53 | 0 | 5 | .245 | .580 | 81 |
| Career | 665 | 896 | 13 | 85 | .165 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
19 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | PHI | 7 | 12.3 | 2 | 1 | 2.19 | 160 | 10 | 0.730 |
| 1966 | CHC | 61 | 184.3 | 6 | 8 | 3.32 | 106 | 150 | 1.096 |
| 1967 | CHC | 38 | 289.3 | 20 | 13 | 2.80 | 118 | 236 | 1.082 |
| 1968 | CHC | 40 | 308.0 | 20 | 15 | 2.63 | 113 | 260 | 1.039 |
| 1969 | CHC | 43 | 311.3 | 21 | 15 | 3.21 | 112 | 273 | 1.140 |
| 1970 | CHC | 40 | 313.0 | 22 | 16 | 3.39 | 114 | 274 | 1.038 |
| 1971 | CHC | 39 | 325.0 | 24 | 13 | 2.77 | 125 | 263 | 1.049 |
| 1972 | CHC | 36 | 289.3 | 20 | 12 | 3.20 | 102 | 184 | 1.089 |
| 1973 | CHC | 38 | 271.0 | 14 | 16 | 3.89 | 96 | 170 | 1.196 |
| 1974 | TEX | 41 | 328.3 | 25 | 12 | 2.82 | 128 | 225 | 1.008 |
| 1975 | TEX | 37 | 270.0 | 17 | 18 | 3.93 | 94 | 157 | 1.174 |
| 1976 | BOS | 30 | 209.0 | 12 | 11 | 3.27 | 107 | 142 | 1.167 |
| 1977 | BOS | 28 | 193.0 | 10 | 10 | 3.68 | 108 | 105 | 1.171 |
| 1978 | TEX | 34 | 249.0 | 18 | 8 | 3.04 | 121 | 157 | 1.080 |
| 1979 | TEX | 37 | 259.0 | 16 | 14 | 4.07 | 98 | 164 | 1.286 |
| 1980 | TEX | 29 | 198.0 | 12 | 12 | 3.77 | 102 | 129 | 1.222 |
| 1981 | TEX | 19 | 106.0 | 5 | 8 | 4.50 | 80 | 63 | 1.528 |
| 1982 | CHC | 34 | 217.3 | 14 | 15 | 3.15 | 122 | 134 | 1.330 |
| 1983 | CHC | 33 | 167.3 | 6 | 9 | 4.30 | 90 | 96 | 1.327 |
| Career | 664 | 4500.4 | 284 | 226 | — | — | 3192 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.