By Jim Ellis
The News-Record
Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher
The banquet, which starts at
“I am excited that the museum and the Classic
can team up on this event,” said Brian Waybright, tournament coordinator and
one of the organizers of the event.
“Hopefully this is a sign of things to
come,” Waybright said. “We want to try to raise some money for the museum.”
The Mickey Mantle Wooden Bat Classic, in
its eighth year, runs April 10-14.
Tickets for the banquet are $40 each and
are available at the News-Record office (14 1st NW),
Corporate sponsorships will be available.
In addition to the banquet appearance,
Jenkins also will be on hand for activities on the final day of the tournament.
“This dinner provides us with a unique
opportunity to partner with the wooden bat classic in promoting both the
tournament and the Mantle museum project,” said Shannon Duhon, chairman of the
MMMT. “Since we both share the common goal of keeping
the legacy of Mickey Mantle alive, it’s just a natural fit.”
Plans for the complex, located a long home
run east of Mantle Field, are nearing completion, Duhon said.
Jenkins spent most of his career with the
His best season came in 1971 with the Cubs
when he played in the All-Star Game, won the National League Cy
Young Award and finished seventh in MVP voting.
Jenkins was the first Cub pitcher and the
first Canadian ever to win the Cy Young and received
17 of 24 first place votes.
Jenkins also posted a .478 slugging
percentage, hitting six home runs and batting in 20 runs in just 115 at-bats.
Jenkins led the National League in
strikeouts in 1969 with 273. He had 49 career shutouts.
He led the league in wins twice, fewest
walks per 9 innings five times, complete games nine times and home runs allowed
seven times. His streak of six straight seasons with 20 or more wins
(1967-1972) is the longest streak in the major leagues since Warren Spahn performed the same feat between 1956 and 1961.
Jenkins, Greg Maddux,
and Curt Schilling are the only major league pitchers to ever record more than
3,000 strikeouts with fewer than 1,000 walks. Only Robin Roberts allowed more
home runs over a career.
An outstanding all-around athlete, Jenkins
played basketball as a member of the
After retiring from Major League Baseball
in 1983, Jenkins pitched for two seasons for the
“This will be a fun night,” Waybright said.
“It’s always so enjoyable to listen to the stories the former players have.”
Starting pitcher
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut — Sept. 10, 1965 for the
Final game —
Career statistics
Record 284-226
ERA 3.34
Strikeouts 3192
Teams —