January 8, 1991: Fergie Jenkins becomes first Canadian elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame

January 8, 2025

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

Thirty-four years ago today, Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) became the first Canadian to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

The Canadian pitching legend was elected in his third year of eligibility along with fellow right-hander Gaylord Perry and seven-time American League batting champion Rod Carew.

“If you care about baseball in this country, you feel good for Fergie Jenkins and you feel good about Fergie Jenkins,” wrote Toronto Star baseball columnist Dave Perkins following the announcement. “Because he is one of us. A Canuck in the Hall of Fame. The first one.”

In the days leading up to the announcement, Jenkins’ thoughts had been elsewhere. His wife, Maryanne, had suffered serious injuries in a car accident near their farm in Guthrie, Okla., and had been in intensive care for a month. Jenkins was spending most of his time at her bedside.

“You make a point of trying to reach a few goals while you play,” Jenkins told reporters after he received word that he had been elected. “You play the game with the intention of doing the best you can for as long as you can. I think I did the trick of the longevity part. I’ve got some stats.”

That was an understatement.

Jenkins grew up in Chatham, Ont., where he excelled in baseball, basketball, and hockey. After graduating from high school in the early ’60s, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, but it wasn’t until he was acquired by the Chicago Cubs in 1966 that he was converted into a starting pitcher.

In his first season as a full-time starter, Jenkins recorded 20 wins and was selected to play in the 1967 All-Star game. The durable hurler followed that up by leading the National League with 40 starts and a 20-15 record in 1968. Those two seasons were part of a remarkable string of six consecutive 20-win seasons (1967 to 1972) for Jenkins.

His 1971 campaign ranks as his most impressive. That season, he led the National League with 24 wins, 30 complete games and 325 innings pitched and became the first Cub – and first Canadian – to win the Cy Young Award.

Dealt to the Texas Rangers following the 1973 season, Jenkins recorded 25 wins, 29 complete games, 245 strikeouts and a 2.82 ERA in 1974 and finished second in the American League Cy Young voting.

The Canadian pitching legend retired with 284 career wins and as the only pitcher in major league history to record more than 3,000 strikeouts (3,192), while allowing fewer than 1,000 walks (997). Greg Maddux, Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez have since joined that elite group.

Jenkins was officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Cooperstown on July 21, 1991. You can listen to his induction speech here.

Former Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies slugger Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) became the second Canadian elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.