Fernando Valenzuela, Mexican-born pitcher whose feats for Dodgers fueled ‘Fernandomania,’ dies at 63

LOS ANGELES — Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” portion winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year successful 1981, has died. He was 63.

The squad said helium died Tuesday nighttime astatine a Los Angeles hospital, but did not supply the origin oregon different details.

His decease comes arsenic the Dodgers hole to unfastened the World Series connected Friday nighttime astatine location against the New York Yankees. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela would beryllium honored during the bid astatine Dodger Stadium.

Valenzuela had near his colour commentator occupation connected the Dodgers’ Spanish-language tv broadcast successful September without explanation. He was reported to person been hospitalized earlier this month. His occupation kept him arsenic a regular astatine Dodger Stadium, wherever helium held tribunal successful the property container eating country earlier games and remained fashionable with fans who sought him retired for photos and autographs.

Valenzuela was 1 of the astir ascendant players of his epoch and a wildly fashionable fig successful the 1980s, though helium was ne'er elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, helium is portion of Cooperstown, which features respective artifacts including a signed shot from his no-hitter successful 1990.

“He is 1 of the astir influential Dodgers ever and belongs connected the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” Stan Kasten, squad president and CEO, said successful a statement. “He galvanized the instrumentality basal with the Fernandomania play of 1981 and has remained adjacent to our hearts ever since, not lone arsenic a subordinate but besides arsenic a broadcaster. He has near america each excessively soon.”

Valenzuela’s emergence from humble beginnings arsenic the youngest of 12 children successful Mexico and his feats connected the mound made him hugely fashionable and influential successful Los Angeles’ Latino assemblage portion helping pull caller fans to Major League Baseball. Their fondness for him continued for years aft his retirement.

“He consistently supported the maturation of the crippled done the World Baseball Classic and astatine MLB events crossed his location country,” Manfred said successful a statement. “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.”

In 1981, Valenzuela became the Dodgers’ opening time starter arsenic a rookie aft Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours earlier his scheduled start. He unopen retired the Houston Astros 2-0 and began the play 8-0 with 5 shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. He became the archetypal subordinate to triumph a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year successful the aforesaid season.

His performances created the delirium known arsenic “Fernandomania” among Dodgers fans. The ABBA deed “Fernando” would play arsenic helium warmed up connected the mound.

He was 13-7 and had a 2.48 ERA successful his archetypal season, which was shortened by a players’ strike.

Valenzuela was an All-Star enactment each twelvemonth from 1981-86, erstwhile helium recorded 97 victories, 84 implicit games, 1,258 strikeouts and a 2.97 ERA. He was 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA successful 8 postseason starts. He earned 2 Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove.

Valenzuela’s no-hitter connected June 29, 1990, a 6-0 triumph against the St. Louis Cardinals astatine Dodger Stadium, was an affectional vocation highlight. He struck retired 7 and walked three.

“If you person a sombrero, propulsion it to the sky!” Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully exclaimed successful his crippled call.

Nicknamed “El Toro” by the fans, Valenzuela had an unorthodox and memorable pitching question that included looking skyward astatine the apex of each windup. His repertoire included a screwball — making him 1 of the fewer pitchers of his epoch who threw that transportation regularly. It was taught to him by teammate Bobby Castillo aft the Dodgers felt Valenzuela, who wasn’t known arsenic a hard thrower, needed different pitch.

Early successful his Dodgers career, Valenzuela spoke small English and had occupation communicating with his catchers. Rookie Mike Scioscia learned Spanish and became Valenzuela’s idiosyncratic catcher earlier becoming the team’s full-time catcher.

Valenzuela was a better-than-average hitter, with 10 vocation location runs.

Eventually, his pitching was compromised by nagging enarthrosis problems that kept him retired of the 1988 postseason, erstwhile the Dodgers won the World Series.

The squad released Valenzuela conscionable earlier the 1991 season. He besides pitched for the erstwhile California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals.

He retired successful 1997, going 141-116 with a 3.31 ERA successful 11 seasons with the Dodgers. Overall, helium was 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA successful 17 seasons.

Valenzuela’s emergence from his tiny hometown of Etchohuaquila successful the Mexican authorities of Sonora to stardom successful the U.S. was improbable. He was the youngest kid successful a ample household who tagged on erstwhile his older brothers played baseball.

He signed his archetypal pro declaration astatine property 16, and soon began overpowering older players successful the Mexican Central League.

In 1978, legendary Dodgers scout Mike Brito was successful Mexico to ticker a shortstop erstwhile Valenzuela entered the crippled arsenic a reliever. He instantly commanded Brito’s attraction and astatine property 18, Valenzuela signed with the Dodgers successful 1979. He was sent to the California League that aforesaid year.

In 1980, Valenzuela was called up to the Dodgers successful September and soon made his large league debut arsenic a reliever.

He remains the lone pitcher successful MLB past to triumph the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards successful the aforesaid season. The left-hander was the National League’s starting pitcher successful the All-Star Game successful 1981, the aforesaid twelvemonth the Dodgers won the World Series.

He is the all-time large league person successful wins (173) and strikeouts (2,074) by a Mexican-born player.

During his career, helium made the screen of Sports Illustrated and visited the White House.

In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers arsenic the Spanish-language vigor colour commentator for NL games. Twelve years later, helium switched to the colour commentator occupation connected the team’s Spanish-language TV feed.

He was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame successful 2014. Five years later, the Mexican League retired Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey. The Dodgers followed successful 2023 aft keeping his fig retired of circulation since helium past pitched for the squad successful 1991. The squad has a regularisation that requires a subordinate to beryllium successful the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier having the Dodgers discontinue his number, but they made an objection for Valenzuela.

The Dodgers named Valenzuela arsenic portion of the “Legends of Dodger Baseball” successful 2019 and inducted him into the team’s Ring of Honor successful 2023.

He became a U.S. national successful 2015.

Valenzuela served connected the coaching unit for Mexico during the World Baseball Classic successful 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017. He was a part-owner of the Mexican League squad Tigres de Quintana Roo, with lad Fernando Jr. serving arsenic squad president and lad Ricky serving arsenic wide manager. Fernando Jr. played successful the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations arsenic a archetypal baseman.

In summation to his sons, helium is survived by his wife, Linda, who was a schoolteacher from Mexico whom helium joined successful 1981, and daughters Linda and Maria arsenic good arsenic 7 grandchildren.