Chicago – There is something alarmingly scary about the way Bobby Jenks pitches.
He has a way of ignoring the pressure, of becoming numb to 40,000 delirious fans chanting his name. The idea he might cough up a lead for a Chicago White Sox team attempting to win its first postseason series since 1917 never seems to occur to him. The butterflies vanish, he insists, when he jogs in from the bullpen to ear-splitting heavy metal music.
Entering Game 3 of their American League division series today at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox, Jenks has served notice he might be this year’s Francisco Rodriguez, an unknown reliever capable of dispatching a champion.
With a six-out save Wednesday, he pitched himself into a broad-shouldered city’s open arms, giving the White Sox a 2-0 lead against the defending world champions.
“It’s funny because when I started the year in Double-A, I was just hoping to get a September call-up,” Jenks said. “This is quite a feeling. I have never experienced anything like this. You don’t get too many fans in the minor leagues that even know your name. There are no words for it.”
Jenks’ outing Wednesday was hard to describe, a 25-year-old making his first postseason appearance against the club-toting Red Sox. He wasn’t perfect, lacking that electric, unhittable pitch that Rodriguez unveiled in 2002 for the Angels. But he survived a double, a walk, and retired, among others, Boston’s Manny Ramirez.
“He was pretty excited, and that’s only natural,” Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “He just amazes me. He believes in himself and has confidence he can get outs. He relaxed and had fun out there.”
Fun is perhaps the last word an opponent would attach to Jenks’ name. What’s he like to face? Picture Olympic wrestling gold medalist Rulon Gardner. The two have roughly the same physique – 6-foot-3, 270 pounds – if not face. But rather than arm-twisting a foe into submission, Jenks unleashes 100 mph fastballs.
Part Rulon, part Nolan Ryan. It’s no wonder Boston second baseman Tony Graffanino offered this summation of Jenks.
“When the monster came in,” Graffanino said, “we had no chance.”
Jenks appeared in 32 games with the White Sox, supplanting Dustin Hermanson as the closer in September. Hermanson was bothered by a stiff back, though White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen ultimately couldn’t ignore Jenks’ stuff. He accents his heater with an 85-mph slider, a slow curve and a changeup.
“It doesn’t matter how hard you throw up here, they are going to hit it if that’s all you’ve got,” said Jenks, who was claimed off waivers by the White Sox on Dec. 17, 2004 from the Angels. “You have to keep the hitters off balance.”
Jenks’ transition to the big leagues has been as colorful as the tattoos that cover his enormous body. He struck out 50 hitters in 39 1/3 innings, blew a critical Sept. 14 game against Kansas City and rebounded, converting his past four save opportunities.
“Why was he in for two innings? Because he was my best pitcher,” Guillen said. “I wanted my best pitcher against their best hitters. He got the job done, didn’t he?”
Game 3: White Sox at Red Sox
2 p.m., ESPN2
Boston has taken more punches than Rocky Balboa over the past three seasons and managed to come off the mat. The Red Sox are 8-1 in elimination games, which should inflate the confidence of Tim Wakefield (16-12, 4.15) tonight. The problem with Wakefield is that even he can’t predict what his knuckleball will do. It’s either harder to hit than a butterfly or the equivalent of a beachball. Wakefield owns a 6.07 ERA in 15 postseason games and is especially vulnerable to right-handed power hitters – see Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye – if his command vanishes. Freddy Garcia (14-8, 3.87) is a wild card, moved ahead of Jon Garland in the rotation. Garcia excels at changing eye levels, eliciting swings on pitches that drop below the strike zone. Manager Ozzie Guillen wanted Garcia as his hammer to close out the series for one obvious reason: the right-hander is 10-3 on the road, holding opponents to a .247 average.
Schedule
Game 1: Tuesday: White Sox 14, Red Sox 2
Game 2: Wednesday: White Sox 5, Red Sox 4
Game 3: Today: White Sox’s Freddy Garcia (14-8, 3.87) at Red Sox’s Tim Wakefield (16-12, 4.15), 2 p.m, ESPN2
Game 4*: Saturday: White Sox’s Jon Garland (18-10, 3.50) at Red Sox’s Curt Schilling (8-8, 5.69), 11 a.m., ESPN
Game 5*: Sunday: Red Sox at White Sox, 2 p.m., ESPN
*-If necessary
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
