Jenkins reaches coveted milestone with win No. 250
Fergie Jenkins had already made history in May 1980 when he set his sights on another mark: the 250-win plateau.
For Jenkins, it was just one more milestone on the path to Cooperstown.
On May 23, 1980, Jenkins notched his 250th win when he allowed just two hits and one unearned run over nine innings to lead the Rangers past the Athletics 3-1 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The 4,141 fans in attendance saw a classic Jenkins performance as he dispatched the A’s in just one hour and 56 minutes.
“Once I got loose, I just went out to throw strikes and do my job,” Jenkins told the Associated Press. “I had a good breaking ball early, but they keyed on it. I just stuck with my fastball after that.”
Jenkins did not allow a hit until Rob Picciolo doubled in the third inning. Jenkins stranded Picciolo but allowed a run in the fourth when Dwayne Murphy reached on an error and eventually scored on a Tony Armas single. But the Rangers took a 3-1 lead in the sixth when the A’s permitted three unearned runs of their own behind Rick Langford – with Al Oliver’s two-run single being the tie-breaking hit.
From there, Jenkins retired 12 of the next 13 batters – allowing only a two-out walk to Jim Essian in the seventh inning.
Jenkins became the third active player to reach 250 wins, joining Jim Kaat and Gaylord Perry. Three weeks earlier – on May 3 – Jenkins beat the Orioles to become the fourth pitcher (along with Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Perry) to win at least 100 games in both the American League and National League.
“I started out as a relief pitcher and thought that 50 victories would be pretty good for my career,” Jenkins told the AP. “(But Cubs manager) Leo Durocher made me a starter and I won 100 games pretty quickly.”
Jenkins began the 1980 season with 247 wins and was 2-2 after beating Baltimore on May 3. But after two no-decisions and a loss in his next three starts, Jenkins was anxious to record No. 250.
“Everyone wants something he can cherish,” Jenkins told the Chicago Sun-Times. “After I won my 200th game (in 1976) I decided to shoot for 250. Who knows? I might become the first Black Canadian to make the Hall of Fame.”
Jenkins fulfilled his prediction after going 12-12 in 1980 and then pitching three more seasons after that, retiring with a 284-226 record and 3.34 ERA over 19 seasons. The three-time All-Star won 20-plus games seven times and captured the 1971 National League Cy Young Award.
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.
“I’ve set no other goals,” Jenkins told the Sun-Times after No. 250. “Everything after this will be gravy.”
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
