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    • Fernando Valenzuela made the Los Angeles Dodgers what they are today
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    Fernando Valenzuela made the Los Angeles Dodgers what they are today

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    LOS ANGELES – Longtime Dodgers star Fernando Valenzuela had been ill for some time but refused to talk about it, even with his closest friends and associates, because he wanted to maintain his privacy.

    You were amazed to see him pitch with his unique style, his eyes rolling to the sky. You enjoyed his company long after your retirement, laughing at his wonderful sense of humor and feeling good when you saw him enter the room.

    It wasn’t until this summer that things changed dramatically.

    You saw him, you talked to him, you spent time with him, and that beautiful, captivating spirit was gone, replaced by a blank look in his eyes.

    I last saw him six weeks ago in Phoenix when the Dodgers came to town to play the Arizona Diamondbacks. You looked at him and were worried. You spoke to him and were alarmed.

    It might be the first time Valenzuela didn’t address me by calling me “Matt.” He called me “Matt” for decades and insisted I looked like former All-Star infielder Matt Williams. He giggled every time he said it. I’m still not sure if he ever knew my real name.

    This time he didn’t call me by name. He didn’t acknowledge me until I passed his table, but he was awfully quiet. No jokes. No laughter. No stories. He just sat quietly and ate his dinner while everyone else talked.

    You asked about his health to those closest to him, and they just grimaced, saying that even though everyone knew he was sick, Valenzuela refused to talk about it.

    He was diagnosed with cancer, liver cancer to be specific, but he suffered in silence and didn’t want anyone to pity him. He died on Tuesday at the age of 63.

    Valenzuela wanted to cherish and maintain that same unadulterated joy he created when he burst onto the scene as a rookie in 1981.

    He came from Etchohuaquila, Mexico, became an overnight star in Los Angeles and made the Latino community burst with pride to be Dodgers fans, while Anglo fans rushed to learn Spanish – or at least a few popular phrases.

    The only pitcher in baseball history to win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season in ’81, Valenzuela was easily the best baseball player to ever come out of Mexico.

    Now, 43 years later, he is still the biggest.

    He was such a legend that no last name was needed.

    His name was simply ‘Fernando’.

    He remained revered in Mexico and was considered royalty wherever he traveled.

    He didn’t need a license plate while driving in Mexico. He didn’t even need a driver’s license. Everyone knew him.

    Fernando.

    Why make it even more complicated?

    Now, just three days before the World Series – with the Dodgers playing the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic for the first time since Valenzuela’s rookie year on Friday – he is gone.

    But “Fernandomania” will live forever.

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

    Valenzuela never made it into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It doesn’t matter. He is as legendary in Dodgers history as Sandy Koufax.

    You walk into Dodger Stadium today and there are more Valenzuela No. 34 jerseys than Koufax jerseys. They showed him working Dodgers games on the video board as part of their Spanish-language broadcast team, and loud cheers broke out, with fans chanting his name over and over.

    The man made the Dodgers who they are today, and his influence can be seen all over Dodger Stadium with their diverse crowd and large Latino population.

    There was never any showing off with Valenzuela. He only spoke about himself when asked. He didn’t need anyone to validate his greatness.

    He was just Fernando, and Fernando never stopped being Fernando.

    It’s been 43 years since Valenzuela pitched for the Dodgers in the ’81 World Series, and the Dodgers will carry his legacy with them throughout this series. They will dedicate this World Series to him. They wear honorary patches on their uniforms. On Friday they will hold an emotional moment of silence. Memories will be passed on to future generations.

    Fernando would be ashamed of all the attention, just as he never talked about his illness and refused to be the center of attention.

    He came to this land known only as Fernando, left this world as Fernando, and the memories of his beautiful innocence will forever be cherished in Los Angeles folklore.

    Anyone who saw him pitch understands it was a privilege.

    Well, it was a greater honor to know him.

    What a legend.

    What a beautiful person.

    Learn about the athletes you love. Sign up for USA TODAY’s Sports newsletter.

    Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @BNightengale

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