1984 Fergie Jenkins Career-Cappers Surprised

If you were a Fergie Jenkins fan — and how could you not be, really? — then 1984 was a rough year.

Not only had Jenkins been relegated to middle-reliever status during the 1983 season, but then the Cubs cut him toward the end of Spring Training in 1984, prompting his retirement

And then … well, then Chicago went out and won its first-ever division title.

Had Fergie been on the roster, it would have also been his first taste of postseason baseball.

But, of course, he wasn’t, and thus he didn’t.

The good news in all this unceremonious wrap-up to a celebration-worthy career was that the timing worked out perfectly for card collectors.

Because, since Jenkins intended to play in 1984 and hadn’t announced his retirement in 1983, the baseball cards powers-that-be’d pretty much had no choice but to include him in their new sets.

And, so, even today, we can enjoy a wide range of Jenkins career-cappers, the likes of which eluded most of his fellow Hall of Famers.

Here’s the lineup …

1984 7-11 Slurpee Coin Central Region

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What could be better on a sweltering summer day in the Midwest than settling down in front of your Philco to take in a Cubs game while you cool off with a delicious and icy Slurpee?

Well, how about if said Slurpee came adorned with a magic-motion Fergie Jenkins “coin”?

Yeah, that would really hit the spot.

1984 Donruss (#189)

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And so did this gorgeous Ferguson career-capper from Donruss, featuring Jenkins in Cubbies pinstripes, striding into his pitch with the famed Wrigley ivy behind him.

And who is that out there behind him? Logic says its a Cubs infielder or outfielder, or *possibly* an opposing baserunner.

The heart and wishful thinking, though? They say it’s one of the long-forgotten players from Field of Dreams, materializing from the greenery just for this photo.

1984 Donruss Champions (#33)

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Jenkins may never have won a World Series or even the chance to pitch beyond the regular season, but there is no doubt he was and is a Champion.

Donruss thought so, too, and included him in their oversize set named, appropriately, Donruss Champions.

Fergie appears in the “Career Victories” group, and, even though the head-to-head comparison with Cy Young is not necessarily pretty, Donruss rightly points out that Jenkins’ 284 wins ranked third among then-active pitchers (again, they didn’t know he wouldn’t appear in 1984).

1984 Fleer (#494)

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Fleer swooped in for their own version of a Jenkins career-capper, and there are some striking similarities to the base Donruss card.

In fact, it wouldn’t be all that wild to imagine that this shot is the aftermath of the one from Big D — same long-sleeves-under-pinstripes uniform, same ivy. And we know that photographers often sold their work to multiple card companies in any given year (see Carew, Rod – 1982).

Could that be a more concretized version of our Field of Dreams guy out there at second? A Ryno sighting, perhaps?

1984 Topps (#483)

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Topps got in on the Fergie Farewell Tour, too, even though the old gum company was usually loathe to issue cards of any player not on an active roster.

But, again (again) … no one knew Jenkins wouldn’t play in 1984.

Here we see an up-close, top-to-bottom shot of Jenkins putting the finishing touches on a pitch. A classic card showcasing Chicago’s all-blue uni top.

1984 Topps Cubs Leaders (#456)

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That team-leading 4.30 ERA may not look too impressing, but you sort of have to consider that the 1983 Cubs went 71-91 to finish fifth out of six teams in the old National League East.

It also feels like something of a fib, given that the team sported a 4.08 ERA overall, and that Dick Ruthven put up a 4.10 in just 18 fewer innings for Chicago than Jenkins’ 167 1/3. Maybe Ruthven was penalized for beginning the season with the Phillies.

Whatever — we get another Jenkins card out of the deal, so … score!

1984 Topps NL Active Career Victor Leaders (#706)

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Seems Topps was in on this whole Fergie career-capper idea with both feet — all three feet, in fact!

And so, like the Donruss Champion card above, we got one last chance to celebrate Jenkins and his 284 victories, which just so happened to rank second among then-active (sorta) National League hurlers — behind Steve Carlton and ahead of Tom Seaver.