Beloved former Major League Baseball standout Fernando Valenzuela passes away at 63 years old.
Before the Dodgers' postseason push in 2024, the team announced Valenzuela would step away from his usual radio duties for the remainder of the season "to focus on his well-being."
As one of the most influential Dodgers ever, president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement, "He deserves a spot on the Dodgers' Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes."
MLB commissioner Robert Manfred, Jr. called Valenzuela "one of the most significant players of his era." He added that the legendary pitcher would be honored during the upcoming World Series.
Throughout his 17-year career in MLB, Valenzuela was a six-time All-Star. He ended his illustrious career with 173 regular-season wins and over 2,000 strikeouts.
Valenzuela played 11 seasons with the Dodgers and had stints with the California Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and San Diego Padres.
Born the youngest of 12 children in the small Mexican town of Etchohuaquila, Valenzuela in Sonora, he rose to become one of the most renowned figures in Major League Baseball history.
One reason for his popularity with fans was his unconventional physique. He wore his long, thick hair and carried a little extra weight, but his distinctive windup, poised demeanor, and dominant pitching performances captivated the Latino community and the world.
With just 24 hours' notice, Valenzuela was thrust into the global spotlight in 1981, when Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda named him the team's Opening Day starting pitcher due to last-minute injuries to the club's first two starters.
The Dodgers' executives would never have envisioned turning to the unproven Valenzuela to open the season, having relied on Cy Young Award winners like Don Newcombe, Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax in the past.
By comparison, Valenzuela had pitched only a total of 17 relief innings in the Majors, with no reputation as a traditional Opening Day starter.
Facing even more pressure, Valenzuela was starting against the Houston Astros, who had eliminated the Dodgers in a one-game playoff the previous season.
Despite all the pressure, the 5'11, 180-pound lefty masterfully retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced to finish a five-hit, complete game shutout, according to Baseball Almanac statistics. The Dodgers won 2-0 before a crowd of 50,511 at Dodger Stadium.
After that performance, Valenzuela became an overnight sensation, following it up with seven straight wins in dominant fashion.
'El Toro' ended his rookie year with a 13-7 record and a stunning 2.48 ERA, capping off a strike-shortened season with a complete-game World Series victory against the New York Yankees.
Valenzuela went on to become the only player in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award and the Rookie of the Year Award in the same season.
Valenzuela's rise to fame extended beyond the pitching mound, becoming a cultural phenomenon that provided the Latino community in the United States with a hero to rally behind.
Famed Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully described "Fernandomania" as a "religious experience," and for many, that's precisely what it was.
Thousands of fans would line up to watch the burly kid from Sonora take the mound, wearing their Valenzuela apparel. Mexican folk music would be played at the stadium, and the Dodgers even hired more Spanish-speaking ushers to accommodate the influx of new Hispanic fans.
The number of Mexican radio stations broadcasting Dodgers games increased from three to 17, according to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). At the height of "Fernandomania," Spanish broadcasts had more than twice the listening audience of Scully's popular English broadcasts, per SABR.
Valenzuela followed up his rookie year, making six straight All-Star games while earning two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove.
His best season on the mound came in 1986, when the screwball-throwing pitcher finished with a career-best 21 wins, including 20 complete games.
In 1991, the Dodgers released Valenzuela during spring training. After leaving the Dodgers, Valenzuela would have stops with other teams in the majors, struggling to recapture his form, before retiring in 2017.
Following his playing career, Valenzuela began calling games for the Dodgers' Spanish-language radio broadcast in 2003, teaming up with his former interpreter, Jaime Jarrin.
Valenzuela's iconic jersey No. 34 was retired by the Dodgers in 2023, making him the first player in franchise history to receive the honor without being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Linda, and their four children.
After his retirement from MLB, Valenzuela continued to be a beloved figure in the sport by joining the Dodgers' Spanish-language radio broadcast.
Valenzuela's impact on the sport went beyond his on-field success, inspiring a generation of Latino fans and paving the way for more Spanish-language coverage in baseball.
