For Jenks, it's as easy as 1-2-3
Bobby Jenks punctuated tying one of baseball's most impressive pitching records with a fist pump Sunday, eventually acknowledging his feat to the crowd with a tip of the cap in front of the U.S. Cellular Field dugout.
But that was as close as Jenks would come to conceding that he knew about retiring 41 straight batters, because he continues to avoid reporters until someone reaches base by hit, error, walk or hit by pitch.
It's hard to tell how long that might take, because it hasn't happened since July 17 in Cleveland when Ryan Garko homered.
"Very special," pitching coach Don Cooper said of Jenks' performances, highlighted Sunday by a one-two-three inning in an otherwise boring 6-0 loss to Seattle. "One more separates him from everybody else. It's awful special."
So why was Jenks, the closer, pitching the ninth inning of a blowout?
"I thought about it," Cooper said. "I know Bobby pretty well, so I thought maybe he'd like to do it [at home] rather than have another day off and an off day [Monday] and think about it more than he ought to.
"So we called down [to the bullpen] about the sixth and I asked him, 'Do you want an inning?' Yes right away came out of his mouth. I went to Ozzie [Guillen] and he was a little surprised. I said, 'Listen, do you want to call him yourself?' So Ozzie got on the phone and asked him and got the same answer."
Said Guillen: "I asked him [if he was] sure he wanted to do it because I wasn't sure the intensity was going to be there. He said, 'Well, my intensity is going to be there no matter what.'"
Jenks retired Adam Jones, the first batter, on a hard smash back to the mound. That broke the American League record of 38 straight batters retired, set in 1998 by David Wells when he was with the New York Yankees.
Jamie Burke then hit a soft liner to right field that Jermaine Dye ran in for and caught as he was diving. The third out was an easy grounder to shortstop by Yuniesky Betancourt.
"That wasn't as tough a play as it might have seemed," Dye said of his catch. "Making that kind of play is more comfortable than trying to reach out and grab it."
As a hitter, Dye appreciates Jenks' feat even more.
"That's unbelievable, especially in this day and age, as much work as hitters put in," he said.
Jenks' 41 straight hitters retired, which ties San Francisco's Jim Barr from 1972, is the equivalent of a game and a half from a starter, and it comes in the same season that starter teammate Mark Buehrle already has tossed a no-hitter.
Catcher A.J. Pierzynski was behind the plate for both accomplishments.
"I was nervous," he said about Jenks' inning. "When he came in, I knew where he was. It wasn't quite the same as when Buehrle had the no-hitter in the ninth, but it was close.
"You don't want to do something to allow him to not get a guy out and have the streak come to an end. It put a little pep in your step."
Jenks helped the 36,629 at The Cell forget about an awful performance by rookie John Danks, who was awed by his teammate's record.
Danks said the most impressive thing is "that he has to face three guys every time.
"As a starter you can go out there and knock out a big chunk of it. But Bobby has to be so good for so long, and for him to do that is pretty awesome.
"Hopefully he can extend it and make it to a record that will be untouchable."
And when it's over, Jenks finally will be able to talk about it.
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