LA actor recalls Fernando Valenzuela's impact on Dodgers culture after stadium forced mass evictions on locals

Sixty-two-year-old Dodger Stadium volition big the World Series starting connected Friday, but it volition beryllium a bittersweet time for fans, hosting the archetypal Dodger crippled since the decease of franchise icon Fernando Valenzuela.

Valenzuela died connected Tuesday successful Los Angeles astatine the property of conscionable 62. As a six-time All Star and World Series champion with the Dodgers successful 1981, Valenzuela was besides a taste icon to the section Los Angeles-based Dodger fans, who embraced the squad aft it moved from Brooklyn successful 1958. 

Hollywood histrion Danny Trejo, a lifelong Los Angeles local, remembers the time the Dodgers came to his hometown. He was conscionable 14 years aged erstwhile they began their inaugural play successful the City of Angels. He remembers the grueling and arguable process that got the franchise its $23 cardinal stadium built successful the Chavez Ravine.

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A composite representation of Dodgers Stadium (proposed), connected March 13, 1958. (Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)

"When the Dodgers archetypal came to L.A. determination was a large contention astir them moving radical out," Trejo told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive interview. 

The onshore utilized for Dodger Stadium successful the 1950s had antecedently been seized from section owners and inhabitants successful the aboriginal 1950s by the city of Los Angeles, utilizing eminent domain with funds from the national Housing Act of 1949. 

It meant that immoderate of the section residents who lived determination had to judge a payout from the metropolis to permission their property. Eminent domain gave the metropolis the powerfulness to instrumentality backstage spot for nationalist use. It is simply a close that is lone reserved by the government, arsenic it does not see the powerfulness to instrumentality and transportation ownership of backstage spot from 1 spot proprietor to another. 

"They paid everybody, but a batch of radical conscionable didn't privation to move," Trejo said. "And it was like, a batch of shacks up there. I utilized to tally astir up determination erstwhile I was a kid. So erstwhile they started gathering the stadium, we started cutting schoolhouse and going up determination to ticker them physique it."

On Friday, May 8, 1959, bulldozers and sheriff's deputies showed up to forcibly evict the past fewer families successful Chavez Ravine. Residents of the country called it Black Friday. Some families adjacent had their doors kicked down, and their furnishings was forcibly hauled out. 

Chavez Ravine evictions connected May 8, 1959 successful Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)

Many of the affected radical successful that assemblage were Mexican Americans. 

Trejo said helium did not person immoderate friends who lived successful the country who were forced to relocate. 

Chavez Ravine evictions successful Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)

Trejo recalled a wide migration of incoming workers from different parts of the country, enticed by the concern of the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

"A batch of radical from similar Georgia and Wisconsin… there's a batch of radical that migrated," Trejo said. "There'd beryllium astir 30 kids [that moved there] from antithetic schools that had chopped schoolhouse and get up determination to ticker them enactment and physique the stadium." 

Photograph of a assemblage gathered for the caller Dodgers Stadium ground-breaking ceremonial successful Chavez Ravine successful Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images)

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Then, implicit the people of the franchise's archetypal 21 years successful Los Angeles, the squad went to 7 World Series, winning 3 of them, arsenic Dodger Stadium rapidly became 1 of the hottest tickets successful Los Angeles. 

However, erstwhile Valenzuela arrived successful 1980, helium famously grew the Dodger instrumentality basal among the region's Latin American population, arsenic the prima pitcher was calved and raised successful Mexico. 

"Fernando was credited with bringing a batch of the Latinos back," Trejo said. "My older relatives would ticker shot astatine location until Fernando came in… they instantly started buying tickets and stuff."

Reggie Jackson, right, and Fernando Valenzuela pregame earlier crippled of Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels connected April 6, 1986 successful Anaheim, California. (Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)

Valenzuela garnered specified a passionate pursuing from L.A.'s latino population, that Trejo said helium would often get comments from constabulary officers connected days erstwhile Valenzuel was pitching.

"If you were successful eastbound L.A. and Fernando was pitching, the cops would inquire you, ‘Hey, however travel you’re not astatine the stadium?'" Trejo said.

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Valenzuela helped pb the Dodgers to their archetypal World Series rubric successful 16 years erstwhile they defeated the New York Yankees successful 1981. 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. 

Los Angeles Dodgers' left-handed pitcher Fernando Valenzuela prepares to transportation the shot during a shot game. (Getty Images)

Valenzuela enjoyed his breakout twelvemonth successful 1981, erstwhile "Fernandomania" made him a metropolis icon. Trejo recounts images of 8-year-old girls wearing Valenzuela hats and jerseys, and "aubelitas" who would spell berserk watching the prima hurler transportation for the Dodgers. 

"He brought a implicit caller assemblage to Los Angeles baseball," Trejo said. 

Now, the Dodgers volition look to repetition what the prima pitcher helped execute successful 1981 by defeating the Yankees successful the World Series.

Trejo confidently predicts that they volition get it done. 

"Fernando is with us." 

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