LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) – Fernando ValenzuelaThe Mexico-born phenom of the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981 has died. He was 63 years old.
The team said he died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not release 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 left his job as color commentator on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television in September, without explanation. It was reported that he had been hospitalized earlier this month. His work kept him a regular at Dodger Stadium, where he held court in the press box dining room before games and remained popular with fans seeking photos and autographs.
“God bless Fernando Valenzuela!” actor and Dodgers fan Danny Trejo Posted in X
Valenzuela was one of the greatest players of his era and was a popular figure in the 1980s, although he was never elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, it is part of Cooperstown, where it has several artifacts, including one of his autographed no-hitters in 1990.
“He is one of the most influential Dodgers of all time and stands on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” team president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement. “With the Fernandomania season of 1981 he boosted the fan base and has been close to us. Our hearts have since left us not only as players but also as broadcasters.”
Valenzuela’s ascension and exploits on the mound, which began as the youngest of 12 children from Mexico, made him widely known and influential in the Latino community of Los Angeles while helping to attract new fans to Major League Baseball. His fondness for her continued for years after his retirement.
“63 is so young….Part of my childhood is gone,” the actress and “Access Hollywood” host. Posted by Mario Lopez In X. “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 also a great man for the community. What a legend.”
Eva Torres, originally from Mexico City, drove from Anaheim to see Valenzuela’s murals on Sunset Boulevard near Dodgers Stadium.
“I wasn’t a baseball fan, but I’m a fan of it,” he said. “He’s like me, an immigrant who came here to do great things.”
In 1981, Valenzuela was the Dodgers’ opening day starter after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start. He left the Houston Astros 2-0 and started the season 8-0 with five shutouts and a 0.50 ERA. He was the first player to win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.
His performances created a frenzy known as “Fernandomania” among Dodgers fans. ABBA’s hit “Fernando” would play as he warmed up on the mound.
“Fernando Valenzuela was a true icon of the Dodgers and the game.” Representative Jimmy GomezD-Calif., published in X. “His legacy and his connection to the LA Latino community is one of the reasons I fell in love with the Dodgers.”
Valenzuela was 13-7 and had a 2.48 ERA in his first season, which was cut short by a players’ strike.
He was an All-Star selection every year from 1981-86, then had 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 won two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove.
Valenzuela’s 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 1990 was emotional. He struck out seven and walked three.
“If you have a hat, throw it in the sky!” Hall of Fame Broadcaster Vin Scully he shouted in his play call.
Nicknamed “El Toro” by fans, Valenzuela had an unorthodox and memorable pitching motion that included looking skyward at the top of each wind. His repertoire included a bolter, and he was one of the few pitchers of his era who threw regularly. He was tutored by teammate Bobby Castillo after the Dodgers felt Valenzuela, not known as a hard hitter, needed another pitch.
Early in his career with the Dodgers, Valenzuela spoke little English and had trouble 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 better than average with 10 career home runs.
He was eventually compromised by nagging shoulder problems that kept him out of the 1988 postseason, when the Dodgers won the World Series.
The team released Valenzuela before the 1991 season. The California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and St. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals.
He retired in 1997, going 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA in 17 seasons, leading the major leagues in wins and strikeouts (2,074) by a Mexican-born player. In 11 seasons with the Dodgers, he was 141-116 with a 3.31 ERA.
Valenzuela’s rise from her small hometown of Etchohuaquila in the Mexican state of Sonora to stardom in the US was a no-brainer. He was the youngest child in a large family when his older brothers played baseball.
He signed his first contract at the age of 16, and soon began to dominate older players in Mexico’s Central League.
In 1978, legendary Dodgers catcher Mike Brito was in Mexico watching a shortstop when Valenzuela entered the game as a reliever. He immediately caught Brito’s attention and at the age of 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 soon 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 lefty was the National League starter in the All-Star Game in 1981, the same year the Dodgers won the World Series.
During her career, she graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and visited the White House.
In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers as the Spanish-language radio color commentator for NL games. Twelve years later, he switched to working as a color commentator on the team’s Spanish-language television feed.
“He continuously supported the growth of the game through 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 20 years, Fernando helped reach a new generation of fans and cultivate a love for the game. Fernando will always be 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 continued in 2023 after keeping his number out of circulation since it last hit 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 did. exception for Valenzuela.
The Dodgers named Valenzuela a “Legend of Dodger Baseball” in 2019 and inducted him into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2023.
He became a US citizen in 2015.
Valenzuela served on Mexico’s coaching staff in the 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classics. Fernando Jr. was the owner of the Mexican League team Tigres de Quintana Roo. with the son being the president of the team and Ricky being the son. serving as CEO. Fernando Jr. He played first base for the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations.
In addition to his sons, he is survived by his wife, Linda, a teacher in Mexico whom he married in 1981, and daughters Linda and Maria and seven grandchildren.
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