LOS ANGELES — There haven’t been many things that have captivated baseball like the phenomenon that is “Fernandomania.”
When 19-year-old Fernando Valenzuela took the mound for the Dodgers on September 15, 1980, in his MLB debut, no one knew what the young left-hander’s career had in store for him. But for the next seven years, the pride of Etchohuaquila, Mexico, would become the face of the franchise.
Valenzuela, died Tuesday at the age of 63leaves behind a legacy not only of great performances but also of great pride for the team he represented and the country that saw him born.
The 1981 season was a whirlwind for the Dodgers legend. It was his first full season in the big leagues, and it was the season that made him an icon. Valenzuela quickly established himself as baseball’s premier arm, becoming a fan favorite in Los Angeles, the United States and Mexico, where his stardom grew even more quickly. The 20-year-old has thrived in Dodger blue.
Valenzuela put together what might be one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, going 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and 196 strikeouts. He became the first player to win Rookie of the Year and the NL Cy Young Award. He also helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series title, the franchise’s fifth.
Over the next nine seasons, Valenzuela was a fixture in the Dodgers’ rotation, taking his place as the next in a long line of great Dodgers pitchers, including Sandy Koufax, Don Sutton and Don Drysdale. In his final season with the Dodgers in 1990, the man nicknamed “El Toro” achieved the last great feat of his storied career, throwing a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Valenzuela played six more seasons with the Angels, Orioles, Phillies, Padres and Cardinals. He finished his career with a 173-153 record, a 3.54 ERA, a 41.5 WAR and 2,074 strikeouts. He also made six All-Star appearances to go with 113 complete games and 31 shutouts.
There might not have been a player who fit a city better than Valenzuela in Los Angeles. In the largest city in the U.S. state with the largest Mexican-American population, Valenzuela has become larger than life. Even today, among the usually sold-out crowd at Dodger Stadium, hundreds, if not thousands, wear Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey, which was retired by the team last season.
Valenzuela’s cultural significance also cannot be understated, given the once strained relationship between the team and its Latino fans. From the Los Angeles Times obituary on Valenzuela:
The electric atmosphere was also surprising given Chavez Ravine’s storied history, when Latino families were uprooted from neighborhoods throughout the 1950s eventually paving the way for the construction of Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles’ Latino community has never forgotten this chapter in the city’s history, but it’s been hard to resist Valenzuela’s meteoric rise and her universal appeal.
In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the team he loved, becoming the color analyst for the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcast, a role he held until taking a leave of absence before the playoffs of the MLB to focus on his health.
The Dodgers, ready to play Game 1 of the World Series Friday in Los Angeles, will play with heavy hearts as they mourn one of the great players of the franchise and also one of the greatest ambassadors of this sport.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement Tuesday evening, reflecting on Valenzuela’s legacy and confirming that his memory will be honored during the World Series:
Following his memorable career, Fernando has been an outstanding ambassador for baseball. He has consistently supported the growth of the game through the World Baseball Classic and at MLB events in his home country. As a member of the Dodgers broadcast team for more than 20 years, Fernando helped reach a new generation of fans and cultivate their love of 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.
As they prepare to face the Yankees – who, coincidentally, Valenzuela helped the Dodgers defeat in the 1981 World Series – Valenzuela’s death gives the team further motivation to bring a championship back to Los Angeles as they mourn and celebrate one of the franchise’s legends.