Fernando Valenzuela, former MLB pitching phenom, dies at 63

Fernando Valenzuela, who took the baseball world by tempest successful 1981, has died astatine the property of 63.

Valenzuela, who started his vocation arsenic a rookie with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was battling wellness conditions erstwhile helium passed distant Tuesday. 

He won the National League’s honors arsenic some the Cy Young Award victor and Rookie of the Year successful 1981. He besides helped the Dodgers triumph the World Series rubric implicit the New York Yankees that season.

Valenzuela died Tuesday aft battling wellness conditions. He was 63.

DODGERS GREAT FERNANDO VALENZUELA HOSPITALIZED WITH HEALTH COMPLICATIONS: REPORTS

Fernando Valenzuela prepares to propulsion retired the archetypal transportation during the 2022 MLB All-Star Game astatine Dodger Stadium connected Tuesday, July 19, 2022 successful Los Angeles, CA.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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This comes conscionable 3 days earlier the Dodgers and Yankees conscionable successful the World Series for the 12th time, and the archetypal since Valenzuela was a leader successful the 1981 Fall Classic.

The Dodgers made an official announcement Tuesday nighttime of Valenzuela’s passing but did not authorities the origin of his death.

The Mexican-born Valenzuela pitched successful Major League Baseball for 17 seasons and past became the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcaster successful 2003. He precocious stepped distant to "focus connected his health," the squad said.

He was calved successful Navojoa, Mexico, and rapidly worked his mode into the majors, getting called up arsenic a alleviation pitcher precocious successful the 1980 play arsenic a 20-year-old.

In 1981, conscionable aft Dodgers starter Jerry Reuss was injured the time earlier Opening Day, Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda tasked Valenzuela with making the archetypal MLB commencement of his career.

"Tommy Lasorda came up to maine and said, 'Are you acceptable to transportation tomorrow?' I said, 'I'm ready,'" Valenzuela said during a 2023 broadcast. "That's what I was looking for, the accidental to amusement what I tin do."

DODGERS GREAT FERNANDO VALENZUELA BECOMES U.S. CITIZEN

Los Angeles Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela (34) signing autographs for fans earlier crippled vs San Diego Padres astatine Dodger Stadium. (Richard Mackson /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

Valenzuela opened the play with a 2-0 triumph implicit the Houston Astros. He began the play with an 8-0 grounds — with 5 shutouts — and a 0.50 earned-run average.

He ended the play with a 13-7 record, 2.48 ERA, 11 implicit games and 8 shutouts. His 192 innings led the National League and his 180 strikeouts led the majors successful the strike-shortened season.

Valenzuela pitched for the Dodgers from 1980-90, and helium was unceremoniously released from the squad conscionable earlier the 1991 season. He went connected to transportation for the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. He retired with a 173-153 record, 3.54 vocation ERA and 2,074 strikeouts done his 17 seasons.

DODGERS ANNOUNCE FERNANDO VALENZUELA'S NO 34 TO BE RETIRED THIS SEASON

Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during a MLB crippled astatine Wrigley Field successful Chicago, Illinois.  (Ron Vesely/Getty Images)

He has 2 World Series championships and his No. 34 is retired by the Dodgers — the lone fig retired by the enactment for idiosyncratic who’s not enshrined successful the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Dodgers volition big the Yankees successful this season’s World Series. It’s the 12th clip the teams person met successful the World Series, which is the astir lucifer ups successful the Fall Classic of each time. It’s the archetypal since Valenzuela’s 1981 rookie year.

Valenzuela volition beryllium honored astatine Dodger Stadium during this year’s World Series, which begins with Game 1 connected Friday nighttime successful Los Angeles.

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"Fernando was an outstanding ambassador for baseball,"Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said successful a connection Tuesday night. "He consistently supported the maturation of the crippled done the World Baseball Classic and astatine MLB events crossed his location country. As a subordinate of the Dodger broadcasting squad for much than 20 years, Fernando helped to scope a caller procreation of fans and cultivate their emotion of the game.

"Fernando volition ever stay a beloved fig successful Dodger past and a peculiar root of pridefulness for the millions of Latino fans helium inspired."

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