LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fernando ValenzuelaThe Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mexican-born prodigy who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the National League Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981 has died. He was 63 years old.
The team announced that he died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not release the cause of death or other details.
His death came as the Dodgers prepared for their World Series opener Friday night at home against the New York Yankees. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela would be honored during the series at Dodger Stadium.
Valenzuela left the team In September, he accepted a job as a color commentator on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcasts without any explanation. It was reported that he had been hospitalized earlier this month. Because of his work, he remained a fixture at Dodger Stadium, guarding the court in the press box dining room before games and remaining popular with fans seeking photos and autographs.
“God bless Fernando Valenzuela!” Actor and Dodgers fan Danny Trejo Posted in X.
Although Valenzuela was not inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, he was one of the most influential players of his era and was a hugely popular figure in the 1980s. But he’s still a member of Cooperstown, and several artifacts are on display, including an autographed ball from his 1990 no-hitter.
“He is one of the most influential players in Dodgers history and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” team president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement. “He energized our fan base with the 1981 Fernandomania season and has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster. He left us before we knew it. I did.”
Valenzuela started out poor as the youngest of 12 children in Mexico, but his exploits on the mound made him immensely popular and influential in Los Angeles’ Latino community, while also bringing new fans to Major League Baseball. He also contributed to this. Their love for him continued for years after his retirement.
“63 is too young…a part of my childhood is gone” actor and co-host of “Access Hollywood” Posted by Mario Lopez “Growing up as a Mexican kid, one of the main reasons I’m a Dodgers fan is because of Fernando. …Not only a great player, but a great person for the community. What a legend. .”
Eva Torres, from Mexico City, drove from Anaheim to see the Valenzuela mural on Sunset Boulevard near Dodgers Stadium.
“I’ve never been a baseball fan, but I’m a fan of his,” she said. “He’s just like me, an immigrant who came here to do great things.”
In 1981, Valenzuela became the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter as a rookie after Jerry Royce was injured 24 hours before he was scheduled to start. He shutout the Houston Astros 2-0 and started the season 8-0 with five shutouts and a 0.50 ERA. He became the first player to win the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in the same season.
His performance sparked an excitement known as “Fernandomania” among Dodgers fans. While he was warming up on the mound, ABBA’s hit song “Fernando” was played.
“Fernando Valenzuela was a true symbol of the Dodgers and this game.” Rep. Jimmy Gomez“His accomplishments and ties to the Latino community in Los Angeles are one of the reasons I fell in love with the Dodgers.”
Valenzuela went 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA in his first season, which was cut short by the players’ strike.
He was an All-Star every year from 1981 to 1986, posting 97 wins, 84 complete games, 1,258 strikeouts, and a 2.97 ERA. He started eight games in the postseason, posting a 5-1 record with a 2.00 ERA. He won two Silver Slugger Awards and one Gold Glove Award.
Valenzuela’s no-hitter in a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on June 29, 1990 at Dodger Stadium was an emotional career highlight. He had seven strikeouts and three walks.
“If you have a sombrero, throw it in the air!” Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully I yelled at the game call.
Valenzuela, nicknamed “El Toro” by fans, displayed unconventional and memorable pitching moves, such as staring into the sky at the top of the windup. His repertoire included the screwball, making him one of the few pitchers of his era to regularly throw that pitch. This pitch was taught to him by teammate Bobby Castillo after the Dodgers felt they needed a different pitch from Valenzuela, who was not known as a strong pitcher.
Early in his career with the Dodgers, Valenzuela spoke little English and had trouble communicating with catchers. Rookie Mike Scioscia learned Spanish and became Valenzuela’s exclusive catcher and then the team’s full-time catcher.
Valenzuela was an above-average hitter with 10 career home runs.
In the end, his pitching was compromised by lingering shoulder problems, and he missed the 1988 postseason, when the Dodgers won the World Series.
The team released Valenzuela just before the 1991 season. He was also a former pitcher for the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals.
He retired in 1997 with a 173-153 record and a 3.54 ERA in 17 seasons, making him the all-time major league leader in wins and strikeouts (2,074) by a Mexican-born player. In 11 seasons with the Dodgers, he had a record of 141 wins, 116 losses, and an ERA of 3.31.
Valenzuela’s rise to stardom in the United States from her small hometown of Echo Huaquira, Sonora, Mexico, was an unlikely one. He was the youngest of a large family and often accompanied his older brothers when they played baseball.
He signed his first professional contract at the age of 16 and immediately began dominating older players in Mexico’s Central League.
In 1978, when Valenzuela appeared in a game as a reliever, legendary Dodgers scout Mike Brito was in Mexico to keep an eye on the shortstop. Valenzuela quickly attracted Brito’s attention and signed with the Dodgers in 1979 at the age of 18. That same year, he was sent to the California League.
In 1980, Valenzuela was called up by the Dodgers in September and immediately made his major league debut as a reliever.
He is the only pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in the same season. A left-hander, he was the National League’s starting pitcher in the 1981 All-Star Game, the same year the Dodgers won the World Series.
During his career, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and even visited the White House.
In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers as a color commentator on Spanish-language radio for National League games. After 12 years, he moved on to a job as a color commentator for the team’s Spanish-language television feed.
“He has consistently supported the growth of baseball through the World Baseball Classic and MLB events throughout his home country,” Manfred said in a statement. “As a member of the Dodgers broadcast team for more than 20 years, Fernando helped reach a new generation of fans and foster their love for the game. Fernando will always be a beloved figure in Dodgers history. and will remain a special source of pride for the millions of Latino fans he inspired.”
He was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Five years later, the Mexican League retired Valenzuela’s number 34. The Dodgers followed suit in 2023 after not having his jersey number in circulation since 1991, when the Dodgers last pitched with the team. The team has a rule that requires a player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame before the Dodgers retire their jersey number, but they make an exception for Valenzuela.
The Dodgers named Valenzuela a member of the Legends of Dodger Baseball in 2019 and inducted him into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2023.
He became a U.S. citizen in 2015.
Valenzuela served on the Mexican national coaching staff at the 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classics. He was a co-owner of the Mexican League team Tigres de Quintana Roo, with his son Fernando Jr. serving as team president and his son Ricky serving as team president. Serves as general manager. Fernando Jr. played first base for the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox.
In addition to his sons, he is survived by his wife Linda, a schoolteacher from Mexico whom he married in 1981, daughters Linda and Maria, and seven grandchildren.
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