LOS ANGELES — Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, a Dodgers icon whose “Fernandomania” fame swept via all of baseball within the Eighties, has died at age 63.
The crew confirmed his loss of life on X, posting “The Los Angeles Dodgers mourn the passing of legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.”
The reason for loss of life has not been launched, however Valenzuela in latest weeks had stepped away from his function as a Spanish-language broadcaster for well being causes.
Fernando Valenzuela was born in 1960 within the small city of Etchohuaquila in Sorona, Mexico — the youngest of 12 youngsters — and inherited the love of baseball from his father Avelino, a farmer.
All of his older brothers performed baseball, and naturally, Fernando adopted of their footsteps.
On the age of 17, Valenzuela started his journey in direction of Main League Baseball — first enjoying professional ball within the Mexican Central League and Mexican Baseball League.
In 1978, legendary Dodger scout Mike Brito made a visit to Silao, Mexico and received his first glimpse of Valenzuela on the mound. The 17-year-old impressed the veteran scout, not simply together with his athletic skill, however his fearlessness on the bump.
Peter O’Malley, wanting a Mexican star to play for the Dodgers, paid $120,000 on July 7, 1979, to buy Valenzuela’s contract from Puebla, of the Mexican League, then sending the 19-year-old to Lodi within the California League.
Whereas enjoying in Lodi, Brito observed that Valenzuela’s fastball did not enhance and advised Normal Supervisor Al Campanis that Valenzuela would wish one other pitch apart from his curveball to outlive the majors.
In 1979 in Arizona, Dodger Pitcher Bobby Castillo, who was recovering from an damage, taught Valenzuela the right way to throw a screwball.
Inside a 12 months Valenzuela was throwing the screwball in addition to Castillo, and shortly rose via the Dodgers’ minor league groups. Then in 1981, Jerry Reuss was scheduled to start out on Opening Day for the Dodgers however injured his ankle, and Tommy Lasorda named 20-year-old Fernando Valenzuela the Opening Day starter.
Valenzuela shut out the Astros 2-0 and “Fernandomania” was born.
The nation was launched to Valenzuela’s uncommon pitching movement as he glanced skyward in his wind-up, and began his rookie season 8-0 with 5 shutouts.
The 1981 gamers strike worn out a part of the season, however Valenzuela nonetheless completed 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA. He additionally gained each the Rookie of the Yr and the CY Younger Award.
Valenzuela helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Sequence over the Yankees, however extra importantly, he helped construct a bridge between the group and the Mexican neighborhood.
“Fernandomania” did not simply take over Los Angeles however all of Main League Baseball, because it gave the game a shot within the arm. Reporters waited for Valenzuela at each visiting metropolis, magazines wished in-depth tales and followers stuffed ballparks.
Valenzuela did not communicate English, was soft-spoken general and a personal individual, which helped him cope with the stress of prompt stardom. The joke was — Fernando did not know the that means of the phrase “stress.”
Valenzuela pitched 11 years of his 17-year profession with the Dodgers, ending with 173 wins and a 3.54 ERA. He pitched his solely no-hitter on June 29, 1990, in opposition to the Cardinals.
After his last Main League pitch, Valenzuela continued pitching. His final skilled sport was in 2006 for Los Aguilas de Mexicali.
He joined the Dodgers’ Spanish broadcast crew in 2003 and spent the following 21 years calling video games for the Dodgers.
As a present of respect, the Dodgers unofficially saved Valenzuela’s jersey #34 out of circulation. And final season, on August 11, the Dodgers formally retired his quantity, turning into the twelfth Dodger to obtain the consideration.
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