Baseball Legends: Ferguson Jenkins (Phillies 1965-1966, Cubs 1966-1973, 1982-1983, Rangers 1974-1975, 1978-1981, Red Sox 1976-1977)

“The game is easy. Life is hard — No guarantees.” ~ Ferguson Jenkins

Known as “Jenks” to his teammates, he was better known as “Fergie” to the baseball fans of the time. The day Jenkins was traded to the Chicago Cubs, one newspaper headline read “Ferguson Who?” In 1966 Jenkins pitched in relief and won 6 games. On August 25, 1966 Leo Durocher made him a starting pitcher. Jenkins pitched every fourth day for the next six years accumulating more than 20 wins each year. From 1967 to 1980, Jenkins led Major League Baseball with the most wins (251) in that 14-season span while often pitching at home in hitter’s ballparks.

Baseball Legends: Steve Carlton (Cardinals 1965-71, Phillies 1972-86, Giants 1986, White Sox 1986, Indians 1987, Twins 1987-88)

“Lefty was a craftsman, an artist. He was a perfectionist. He painted a ballgame. Stroke, stroke, stroke, and when he got through (pitching a game) it was a masterpiece.” – Richie Ashburn

Steve Carlton broke into the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965. He saw action in the World Series in both 1967 ad 1968. In 1968 Carlton received his first of 10 All-Star selections. It was in the off season following that year that Steve started experimenting with the slider. The pitch would elevate him to another level. That next year his ERA went down by 0.82 and his strikeouts increased by 48. The highlight of the 1969 season was his 19 strikeout performance against the Mets. He won 17 games in 1969, then lost 19 in 1970, but turned around and won 20 in 1971. The end of his career with the Cardinals was clouded by his disagreements with management.

Baseball Legends: Tony Perez (Reds 1964-1976, 1984-1986, Expos 1977-1979, Red Sox 1980-1982, Phillies 1983)

“When there’s a runner in scoring position, I can’t think of any batter I’d rather have at the plate than Perez.” ~ Sparky Anderson

Impressive words about Tony Perez, considering Anderson could have chosen Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, or George Foster, some of the most prolific hitters of the era. Perez was overshadowed by these players on the Big Red Machine, but he was a consistent producer, driving in over 100 runs seven times in his career. He ranks 24th on the all-time RBI list with 1652 ribbies.

Though some argue that Perez does not belong among the Baseball Legends because he was not the dominant player at his position or even on his own team, his consistency and the respect he was given by opposing pitchers attest to his right to be included.

Baseball Legends: Ryne Sandberg (Phillies 1981, Cubs 1982-1997)

If you ask a sports fan the significance of the number 23, most of the time they will tell you that Michael Jordan wore that number for the Chicago Bulls. However, there is another Chicago sports legend that had 23 stitched onto his jersey: Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg.

Sandberg came to the Cubs with Larry Bowa in a trade with the Phillies for Ivan DeJesus. He made an immediate impact, batting .271 and stealing 32 bases for the 5th place Cubs in 1982. It wasn’t until 1984, though, that Sandberg truly stepped into the national spotlight, hitting .314 with 19 home runs en route to the NL MVP award and leading the club to the playoffs for the first time since 1945. 1984 was also the first of a 10-year run on the All-Star team, voted as the starting second baseman every year except 1985 (he was beat out that year by Tom Herr of the Cardinals).