The world's largest bat outside the Baseball Hall of Fame. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Keaton Brown

Major League Star

Major league great set to speak at Hall of Fame induction

Jun 10, 2019 | 5:03 PM

A major league star is set to induct some minor league greats into the Hall of Fame.

Canadian baseball legend, Ferguson Jenkins, will be in the Battlefords for the 35^th annual induction ceremony at the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame Aug. 17.

Ferguson Jenkins, or Fergie as he’s come to be known, is the first and only Canadian to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 1991. He was also inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.

He was a pitcher in the Major Leagues playing for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox.

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His career statistics were outstanding finishing with 284 wins, 267 complete games, 49 shut-outs, 3192 strikeouts, 13 homeruns and he was the first pitcher to accumulate over 3,000 strikeouts with less than 1,000 walks.

Fergie was the first Canadian to win the National League Cy Young award in 1971. He was also the first baseball player to be awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy in 1994, which is awarded to Canada’s top athlete.

Fergie received the Order of Canada in 1979 for being Canada’s best known major league player and the Chicago Cubs retired his number 31 in May of 2001. He was also honoured with a Canadian postage stamp in conjunction with Black History Month in February 2011.

He also started the Fergie Jenkins Foundation in 1997 which has raised over $4 million for charities across North America.

“Fergie being the first Canadian, and only Canadian, to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame means an awful lot in terms of providing history to our rich baseball heritage,” Jane Shury, the president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame said.

The induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, Aug. 17 kicking off with a reception at 3:30 p.m. followed by a banquet and ceremony at the Alex Dillabough Center. Tickets are available at the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame.

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keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow