Legendary Canadian baseball player Fergie Jenkins returned to his hometown on Saturday for the unveiling of his statue outside of Chatham’s Civic Centre.
The bronze sculpture is a full-size replica of the one that stands outside of Wrigley Field in Chicago, honouring Jenkins’ career with the Cubs.
Fergie Jenkins statue in Chatham. Photo by Allanah Wills.
By the way he’s gripping the ball, Jenkins believes the statue shows him pitching a changeup.
The renowned athlete got his start in Chatham-Kent, and had nothing but kind words to say about the community.
“Being honoured in your hometown is fabulous,” Jenkins said.
When considering his long list of lifetime accomplishments, he says having a statue erected in Chatham is right at the top.
Jenkins was an MLB pitcher for 18 seasons. He made history as the first of just two Canadian-born baseballers who have been inducted to the Hall-of-Fame.
“All that took was hard work, and I didn’t shy from hard work, I enjoyed that part of it,” Jenkins divulged.
He credits his parents for instilling a sense of discipline in him from a young age.
“My dad was one of those that always told me, ‘If you’re going to be good at sports, play hard. Do what you gotta do,” Jenkins said. “My mother always said, ‘What you start, finish.’”
Jenkins also gave a shout out to his former colleagues for helping him along the way.
“I had great teammates telling me ‘We’re going to back you, we’re going to play hard for you,’ They scored runs for me, played great defense,” said Jenkins. “I played for four organizations - Phillies, Cubs, Texas, and Boston. I look back, I had great teammates.”
Fergie Jenkins speaks to a large crowd in Chatham during his statue unveiling ceremony. Photo by Allanah Wills.
Hundreds attended the unveiling ceremony to hear remarks from the baseball legend. Jenkins acknowledged that some of his childhood teammates may have been among the crowd.