Chatham is about to be the site of a very rare and majestic occasion.
The only two Canadian Major League Baseball Hall of Famers will appear together to celebrate the Fergie Jenkins' statue unveiling this weekend.
Larry Walker will join Jenkins for the dedication ceremony at the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Walker was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020, while Jenkins was inducted in 1991.
Jenkins told CK News Today that never in his wildest dreams did he anticipate a statue of his likeness to adorn the core of his hometown and he's very excited about it. The statue is a replica of the statue that sits outside Wrigley Field in Chicago.
"Being honoured in your hometown, that's the best thing that can happen to an athlete. I don't think you ever think about that. I was told if you're going to become a professional athlete, the people you see going up are the same people you see coming down. So, I'm pretty happy that Chatham, my hometown, is honouring me," said Jenkins. "It’s very humbling, and to have my children be the ones to unveil it makes it even more special.”
Mayor Darrin Canniff said Chatham can boast about being one of the very few communities in Canada to have both the Hall of Famers together.
"Make sure you get out on Saturday. It's going to be an event that you're going to be talking to your kids and grand kids about," Canniff said.
Former Blue Jay Jesse Barfield will also be at the Chatham ceremony along with various baseball colleagues, teammates, and roommates from Jenkins' past.
The dedication ceremony will begin at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in front of the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre at 315 King Street West in Chatham.
The ceremony is open to the public and everyone is invited. A family-friendly after party will be held at Sons of Kent Brewing Co. at 27 Adelaide Street South in Chatham at 4 p.m.
The first 300 children in attendance will get a Chicago Cubs baseball, a hot dog, a snack, and a temporary tattoo.
Jenkins arrived in Chatham on Thursday and spoke at a networking lunch held by the new baseball team in Chatham-Kent.
Jenkins played professional baseball from 1965-1983 and took some time at the luncheon in Chatham on Thursday to tell the crowd how he got his start in baseball and to answer some questions.
He said Gene Dziadura, a friend of his English teacher at John MacGregor High School in Chatham Gerry McCaffery, was also a Philadelphia Phillies scout and convinced Jenkins to switch from first base to pitcher when he was 15 years old after McCaffery asked Dziadura to take a look at the youngster.
Jenkins said he threw his first no hitter at the age of 17 and signed with Philadelphia in 1962 after he finished high school at Chatham Vocational School and after several scouts from Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh came sniffing around.
He believes the slider got him to the big leagues after a coach in winter ball taught him the pitch.
Jenkins said getting called up to the big leagues felt like Christmas or a birthday and reminisced about his younger days playing ball.
He also said baseball opened up a new world of black entertainers for him at the tender age of 18. Jenkins said he saw James Brown, Little Anthony, Sam Cooke, and Ella Fitzgerald in Miami.
He also echoed what Mayor Darrin Canniff told the audience earlier, that baseball brings a community together and sponsors help make a team successful.
Jenkins said five players from Chatham played in the majors and Mayor Canniff mused there could be another Jenkins in the making that nobody knows about yet.
The baseball team in Chatham-Kent is set to announce its new name next month.
Jenkins is the first Canadian to win the Cy Young award, the premiere accolade for pitchers.
Jenkins was a National League All-Star for three seasons and finished his career with a record 284 game wins and 3,192 strikeouts.
(Photo by Paul Pedro)
Jenkins said he had 13 home runs during his career, adding he loved to hit and run the bases.
