LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fernando Valenzuelathe Mexican-born Los Angeles Dodgers phenom who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981 has died. He was 63.

The team said he died Tuesday evening at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not provide a cause or other details.

His death comes as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series at home against the New York Yankees on Friday night. Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela would be honored during the series at Dodger Stadium.

Valenzuela had left his job as a color commentator on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcast in September without explanation. He was reportedly admitted to hospital earlier this month. His job kept him a regular at Dodger Stadium, where he performed in the press box dining room before games and remained popular with fans who sought him out for photos and autographs.

“God bless Fernando Valenzuela!” actor and Dodgers fan Danny Trejo posted on X.

Valenzuela was one of the most dominant players of his era and a wildly popular figure in the 1980s, although he was never elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, he is part of Cooperstown, which contains several artifacts, including an autographed ball from his 1990 no-hitter.

“He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore among franchise heroes,” said Stan Kasten, team president and CEO, in a statement. “He strengthened the fan base during the 1981 Fernandomania season and has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a presenter. He left us all far too soon.”

Valenzuela’s rise from humble beginnings as the youngest of twelve children in Mexico and his exploits on the mound made him enormously popular and influential in the Los Angeles Latino community, while at the same time attracting new fans to Major League Baseball. Their fondness for him continued for years after his retirement.

“63 is way too young…. A part of my childhood is gone,” actor and co-host of “Access Hollywood” Mario Lopez posted about X. “I grew up a Mexican kid and one of the main reasons I’m a Dodgers fan is because of Fernando. … Not just a great player, but a great man for the community. What a legend.”

In 1981, Valenzuela became the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter as a rookie after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start. He shutout the Houston Astros 2-0 and started the season 8-0 with five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. He became the first player to win a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

His performances caused the delirium known as “Fernandomania” among Dodgers fans. The ABBA hit “Fernando” played as he warmed up on the mound.

He was 13-7 and had a 2.48 ERA in his first season, which was shortened by a players’ strike.

Valenzuela made the All-Star roster every year from 1981 to 1986, when he recorded 97 wins, 84 complete games, 1,258 strikeouts and a 2.97 ERA. He was 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in eight postseason starts. He earned two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove.

Valenzuela’s no-hitter on June 29, 1990, a 6-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, was an emotional highlight of his career. He struck out seven and walked three.

“If you have a sombrero, throw it in the air!” Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully he exclaimed in his game call.

Valenzuela, dubbed “El Toro” by fans, had an unorthodox and memorable pitching move, looking skyward at the top of each windup. His repertoire included a screwball, making him one of the few pitchers of his era to throw that pitch regularly. It was taught to him by teammate Bobby Castillo after the Dodgers felt Valenzuela, who was not known as a hard thrower, needed another pitch.

Early in his Dodgers career, Valenzuela spoke little English and had difficulty communicating with his catchers. Rookie Mike Scioscia learned Spanish and became Valenzuela’s personal catcher before becoming the team’s full-time catcher.

Valenzuela was an better than average hitter, with 10 home runs in his career.

Ultimately, his pitching was compromised by nagging shoulder problems that kept him out of the 1988 postseason, when the Dodgers won the World Series.

The team released Valenzuela just before the 1991 season. He also pitched for the former California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals.

He retired in 1997 and went 141-116 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 seasons with the Dodgers. Overall, he was 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA in 17 seasons.

Valenzuela’s rise from his small hometown of Etchohuaquila in the Mexican state of Sonora to stardom in the US was unlikely. He was the youngest child in a large family who tagged along when his older brothers played baseball.

He signed his first professional contract at the age of 16 and quickly began to overwhelm older players in the Mexican Central League.

In 1978, legendary Dodgers scout Mike Brito was in Mexico checking out a shortstop when Valenzuela entered the game as a reliever. He immediately caught Brito’s attention and at age 18, Valenzuela signed with the Dodgers in 1979. That same year he was sent to the California League.

In 1980, Valenzuela was called up to the Dodgers in September and quickly made his big league debut as a reliever.

He remains the only pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. The left-hander was the National League’s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game in 1981, the same year the Dodgers won the World Series.

He is the all-time Major League leader in wins (173) and strikeouts (2,074) by a Mexican-born player.

During his career, he made the cover of Sports Illustrated and visited the White House.

In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers as a Spanish-language radio color commentator for NL games. Twelve years later, he moved on to the job as a color commentator on the team’s Spanish-language TV feed.

“He consistently supported the growth of the game at the World Baseball Classic and at MLB events in his home country,” Manfred said in a statement. “As a member of the Dodger broadcast team for more than two decades, Fernando has helped reach a new generation of fans and cultivate their love for the game. Fernando will always remain a beloved figure in Dodger history and 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 jersey. The Dodgers followed suit in 2023 after keeping his number out of circulation since he last pitched for the team in 1991. The team has a rule that requires a player to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame before the Dodgers retire his number, but they made an exception for Valenzuela.

The Dodgers named Valenzuela as part of the “Legends of Dodger Baseball” in 2019 and inducted him into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2023.

He became an American citizen in 2015.

Valenzuela served on Mexico’s coaching staff during the World Baseball Classic in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017. He was co-owner of the Mexican League team Tigres de Quintana Roo, with son Fernando Jr. as team president and son Ricky as general manager. Fernando Jr. played as a first baseman in the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations.

In addition to his sons, he is survived by his wife Linda, a teacher from Mexico whom he married in 1981, and daughters Linda and Maria, as well as seven grandchildren.

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