Jenkins was a three-time All-Star and the 1971 National League Cy Young Award winner. In 1991, Jenkins became the first Canadian to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 19-year career, he pitched for four different teams, spending the majority of his career with the Chicago Cubs. Jenkins also played basketball in the off-season as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters from 1967 to 1969.

This Rawlings official MLB baseball was signed in blue ballpoint pen by Jenkins and inscribed, "NL CY 71." This baseball includes a Steiner hologram and COA.