The question is: Why wasn’t it done before?
The Chicago Cubs will retire the uniform number 31 to honor pitchers Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux. It was the fifth number retired by the Cubs. The other numbers are (chronologically) #14 Ernie Banks, #26 Billy Williams, #10 Ron Santo, and #23 Ryne Sandberg.
No doubt both pitchers are very worthy of this honor. Interestingly, both served the Cubs in two separate stints. Jenkins was 167-132 with a 3.20 ERA in 401 appearances including six 20-win seasons.
Maddux won 133 games for the Cubs and his first Cy Young came when he was still with the Cubs.
Both have a great place in Cub history and it’s about time for Jenkins, in my opinion.
I recently had a shock when looking up stats for Greg Maddux, no longer under the active category, had to go to historical data. Ferguson Jenkins threw out the first ball at a preseason game in Dunedin, FL between the Pirates & the Jays that I was at, smoke on the outside corner. The Blackhawks retired #3 in honor of Keith Magnuson & Pierre Pilote.