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    • Fernando Valenzuela, popular former Dodgers pitcher, dies at 63
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    Fernando Valenzuela, popular former Dodgers pitcher, dies at 63

    Vaseline Posted on

    Fernando Valenzuela, a Los Angeles icon who became a sensation for the Dodgers and the city’s Spanish-speaking population through “Fernandomania,” has died, the Dodgers announced Tuesday. He was 63.

    A cause of death has not yet been announced.

    Valenzuela was a Spanish-language radio broadcaster for the Dodgers but stepped out of his role before the start of the 2024 postseason to “focus on his health” and the team said in a statement that he planned to return for the 2025 season.

    A southpaw from Navojoa, Mexico, Valenzuela’s career began completely by chance. In 1978, legendary Dodgers scout Mike Brito went to the town of Silao in Guanajuato, Mexico, to see a shortstop named Ali Uscanga. During one game, the unheard-of Valenzuela found relief after falling behind 3-0, throwing three consecutive hits vs. Uscanga, striking out him. Brito recalled that at that moment he “completely forgot about the shortstop.”

    The Dodgers quickly signed Valenzuela in 1979, and after a brief stint in the minor leagues, he made his MLB debut the following season. But it was early in the 1981 season when the southpaw became a star.

    Valenzuela was named Opening Day starter for Los Angeles after Jerry Reuss was scratched due to injury. Facing the Houston Astros, Valenzuela pitched a complete game shutout – allowing five hits while striking out five – en route to a 2-0 win.

    “It seems like just yesterday when this little chubby 20-year-old boy started opening day for us and lit the whole world on fire,” catcher Mike Scioscia said of that day. “What you couldn’t see was the ice water in his veins. He proved how spectacular and magical everything was.”

    The match was the start of a sensational season for Valenzuela. He started the season 8-0 in his first eight appearances, all complete games – five of which were shutouts. Valenzuela became a star overnight because of its dominance. Playing in a city with a large Hispanic population who had long lived in the area, the community gathered and cheered for Valenzuela and flocked to Dodger Stadium to watch him throw, creating the craze that was “Fernandomania.”

    He finished the season 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and won both the NL Cy Young and NL Rookie of the Year awards – the first player to do so – as the Dodgers won the 1981 World Series, including a complete game victory in Game 3 in the Fall Classic against the New York Yankees.

    Nicknamed “El Toro,” Valenzuela became a household name in Los Angeles while pitching for the Dodgers for ten more seasons. Valenzuela, beloved by Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, was an All-Star every year from 1981 to 1986. He was unable to replicate his All-Star numbers in the second half of his time in Dodger Blue, but he added another signature moment in his final year with the team.

    On June 29, 1990, Scioscia and many Dodger players watched as Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart threw a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays. Valenzuela was scheduled to pitch that night against the St. Louis Cardinals, and after Stewart completed his performance, Scioscia said Valenzuela made a bold prediction to his teammates.

    “You just saw a no-hitter on TV. Now you’re going to see one in real life,” Valenzuela said.

    The prediction turned out to be a spoiler. Valenzuela struckout seven batters en route to his first career no-hitter. After Valenzuela got Pedro Guerrero to end up in a double play to complete the feat, fellow Dodgers legend Vin Scully made one of his signature calls of his 67-year broadcasting career.

    “If you have a sombrero, throw it in the air!” Scully exclaimed.

    Valenzuela had stints with various teams over the next seven years before ending his MLB career in 1997. In 17 seasons he had a record of 173-153 with an ERA of 3.54, but during his time with the Dodgers he had a record of 141-116. and a 3.31 ERA, which ranks him ninth in franchise history in wins.

    Despite all his accomplishments and the fans he had to bring to Dodger Stadium, Valenzuela hasn’t achieved the highest achievement the team awards its former players in quite some time.

    The franchise’s criterion for retiring a jersey number is that the player must spend the majority of his career with the team and be in the Baseball Hall of Fame – with the exception of former player and coach Jim Gilliam in 1978. Valenzuela never made it. it to the Hall of Fame after spending two years on the ballot in 2003-2004. Although he never made it to Cooperstown, no Dodgers player ever wore Valenzuela’s number 34 after he ended his playing days for Los Angeles.

    Still, Dodgers fans have advocated for Valenzuela’s inclusion in the team’s Ring of Honor for decades, citing his significance to the city and fan base and paving the way for Mexican baseball players to reach the majors. Then, more than 30 years after he threw his last pitch for the Dodgers, the team retired his number in August 2023.

    Although current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the honor was “long overdue,” Valenzuela didn’t believe that day would come. When he was told it was going to happen, the first thing he remembered saying was, “Really?”

    “It really surprised me. I never expected it,” Valenzuela said.

    But it’s hard to argue with what Valenzuela has done for baseball and what he means to many Dodgers fans. For a franchise with names like “Jackie” and “Vin” synonymous with the team, “Fernando” is also associated with the team. It’s hard not to notice a No. 34 jersey being worn in the crowd at Dodger Stadium. As Dodgers radio announcer Charley Steiner put it, Valenzuela “transcends what he did for the Dodgers.”

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