Chatham, Ontario native Ferguson Jenkins came from a family of athletes, as his father was an amateur boxer and semi-professional baseball player.
A multi-sport athlete, Jenkins’ first love was ice hockey, but he also competed in track and field, basketball and eventually baseball during his formative years.
Jenkins was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962 and made his Major League debut as a relief pitcher in 1965. The following season, he was traded from the Phillies to the Chicago Cubs and quickly became one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.
The power pitcher's career spanned two decades and his accomplishments on the diamond measure up alongside the greatest pitchers in the history of the game. The three-time All-Star and 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner had a nearly unbelievable streak of six consecutive 20-win seasons from 1967-1972. His 284 wins rank as the most for any African-American player in history. He is a member of the 3,000 Strikeout Club, a Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer, a Texas Rangers Hall of Famer, and in 1991 he received the ultimate honor, becoming the first Canadian-born player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In this exclusive interview, the pitching great talks about his unique relationship with fans, the pride he takes in his signature and seeing his classic 1966 Topps rookie card for the first time
