Fernando Valenzuela
Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use American English Template:Family name hatnote Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox baseball biography
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; November 1, 1960 – October 22, 2024), nicknamed "El Toro", was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1997 (except for a one-year sabbatical in Mexico in 1992). He played for six MLB teams, most prominently with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed him in 1979 and gave him his MLB debut in 1980. Valenzuela batted and threw left-handed, with an unorthodox windup. He was one of a small number of pitchers who regularly threw a screwball in the modern era.
Valenzuela enjoyed his breakout year in 1981, when "Fernandomania" rapidly catapulted him from relative obscurity to stardom. He won his first eight starts, five of them shutouts, and finished with a win–loss record of 13–7 and had a 2.48 earned run average (ERA) in a season that was shortened by a player's strike. He became the first, and as of 2024, only player to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Dodgers won the World Series that year.
Valenzuela peaked from 1981 to 1986, when he was named a National League (NL) All-Star in each season. He won an NL-leading 21 games in 1986, when he was a runner-up to Mike Scott of the Houston Astros for the Cy Young Award.<ref>Great Scott's power burned brightest in '86 ESPN.</ref> Valenzuela was also one of the better hitting pitchers of his era. He had ten career home runs and was occasionally used by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda as a pinch-hitter.<ref name=br>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1986, he signed the then-largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history ($5.5 million/3 years).<ref name=":0" /> However, nagging shoulder problems diminished the remainder of his Dodgers career.<ref>Valenzuela put on waivers by Dodgers Baltimore Sun.</ref> He was on the Dodgers' 1988 World Series championship team, but sat out the postseason with a shoulder injury. Valenzuela threw a no-hitter in 1990 before the Dodgers released him prior to the 1991 season. He spent the rest of his major league career with the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals, before pitching a couple of seasons in Mexico in his 40s.
Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers organization after retiring, serving as a broadcaster from 2003 to 2024, the year of his death.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Dodgers retired his Template:Abbr 34 in 2023. His career highlights include a record of 173–153, with an ERA of 3.54. His 41.5 career wins above replacement (according to Baseball Reference) is the highest of any Mexican-born MLB player.
Early lifeEdit
Valenzuela was born on November 1, 1960, in Etchohuaquila, a small town within the municipality of Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was the youngest of 12 children.<ref name="findarticles1">Template:Cite news</ref> His parents, Avelino and María, were poor farmers who worked the land with the help of their children<ref name=":10">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and were of Mayo indigenous ancestry.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Playing careerEdit
Early career in MexicoEdit
In 1977, Valenzuela began his professional baseball career, signing with the Mayos de Navojoa of the Mexican Pacific League. A year later, he was sent to the Guanajuato Tuzos of the Mexican Central League, posting a 5–6 win–loss record with a 2.23 earned run average (ERA). The following year, the Mexican Central League was absorbed into the expanded Mexican League, automatically elevating then 18-year-old Valenzuela to the Triple-A level. Pitching for the Leones de Yucatán that year, Valenzuela went 10–12 with a 2.49 ERA and 141 strikeouts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
A number of Major League Baseball (MLB) teams scouted Valenzuela during this time. Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, conscious of the large Latino population in Los Angeles, had wanted a Mexican ace pitcher for some time.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite news</ref> Even so, the Dodgers found Valenzuela by accident. They sent scout Mike Brito to a game in Mexico to evaluate a shortstop named Ali Uscanga. Valenzuela threw three balls to Uscanga to fall behind in the count and then threw three straight strikes for the strikeout. Brito said later that at that point, he "forgot all about the shortstop".<ref name=Gonzalez>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Dodgers bought out Valenzuela's Liga contract on July 6, 1979, for $120,000 (about $521,158 in 2024), of which $20,000 went to Valenzuela and $100,000 went to the team.<ref name="findarticles1" /><ref name=":7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The New York Yankees subsequently offered $150,000, but the Leones honored their original deal, and Valenzuela became a Dodger.<ref name=":10" />
Move to the Los Angeles Dodgers organizationEdit
After acquiring Valenzuela in the summer of 1979, the Dodgers assigned him to the Lodi Dodgers of the High-A California League, where he posted a 1–2 record and a 1.13 earned run average (ERA) in limited action.<ref name=BRMinors>Fernando Valenzuela Minor League Statistics & History. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.</ref> Brito worried that Valenzuela did not throw with enough velocity and felt that he needed to develop an off-speed pitch, so the Dodgers had their pitcher Bobby Castillo teach him to throw the screwball before the 1980 season.<ref name=Crowe>Crowe, Jerry. A screwball chain of events led the Dodgers to Fernando Valenzuela. Los Angeles Times. March 27, 2011.</ref> In 1980 Valenzuela was promoted to the Double-A San Antonio Dodgers, where he led the Texas League with 162 strikeouts and finished the season with a 13–9 win-loss record and a 3.10 ERA.<ref name=TL1980>1980 Texas League pitching leaders. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.</ref>
Valenzuela was called up to the major leagues in September 1980, serving as a reliever in the last month of the season.<ref name=toribio_04162021/> In his first game on September 15 against Atlanta, his catcher was Mike Scioscia, who spoke some Spanish; Valenzuela spoke little English.<ref name=":10" /> Valenzuela's excellent performances as a reliever (17Template:Fraction scoreless innings of relief in 10 games) helped the Dodgers tie the Houston Astros for the NL West division lead. He earned two wins and a save. However, the Dodgers then lost a one-game tiebreaker—and thus, the division championship—to the Astros.<ref name=toribio_04162021>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
"Fernandomania"Edit
Following his successful stint as a reliever in 1980, Valenzuela transitioned to a full-time starter role in his 1981 rookie season. He was unexpectedly named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter as a rookie after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start, and Burt Hooton was not ready to fill in.<ref name="brown" /> At first, Valenzuela did not think manager Tommy Lasorda was serious.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref> However, he filled in and shut out the Houston Astros 2–0.<ref name=brown>Template:Cite news</ref> He was the first rookie to start Opening Day for the Dodgers.<ref name=":7" />
Valenzuela enjoyed one of the hottest starts to a career in MLB history. He began the season 8–0 with seven complete games, five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50.<ref name="jaffe_08142023">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition to his dominance on the mound, Valenzuela's unusual and flamboyant pitching motion—including a glance skyward at the apex of each wind-up—drew attention of its own.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His most prominent and effective pitch was the screwball,<ref name=":11">Template:Cite news</ref> which had not been a popular pitch for decades.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
An instant media icon, Valenzuela drew large crowds from Los Angeles' Latino community every time he pitched, and his rookie 1981 Topps and Fleer baseball cards were in high demand. The craze surrounding Valenzuela came to be known as "Fernandomania".<ref name="wilson" /> The Dodgers' Spanish radio broadcast ratings on KTNQ jumped from 3.4 to 8.6.<ref name=":2"/> His starts drew large crowds in every city.<ref name="jaffe_08142023" /> During his warm-up routine at Dodger Stadium, the PA system would play ABBA's 1976 hit song "Fernando". He became the first player to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the Cy Young Award in the same season, and finished fifth in NL MVP voting. He was also the first rookie to lead the NL in strikeouts. The Dodgers won the World Series that season.<ref name="brown" />
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Valenzuela was less dominant after the 1981 player strike wiped out the middle third of the season, but the left-hander still finished with a 13–7 record and a 2.48 ERA. He led the majors in shutouts (8) and strikeouts (180), and led the NL in complete games (11) and innings pitched (192.1). He was also second in the NL in wins (13). He demonstrated his unusually good batting (for a pitcher) by batting .250 and striking out just nine times in 64 at-bats.<ref name="br" /> He became the first Dodgers pitcher to win the NL Silver Slugger Award.<ref name="almanac">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In the NL West Division Series against the Houston Astros, Valenzuela became the youngest pitcher to start the first game of any postseason series.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also threw a 147-pitchTemplate:Efn complete game in a game 3 win over the New York Yankees in the World Series.<ref name=":9"/> In total, he went 3–1 in the postseason with a 2.21 ERA in Template:Frac innings,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and he helped the Dodgers win their first World Series since 1965.<ref name="odowd_04112021">Template:Cite news</ref>
Valenzuela achieved this success knowing little English at the time. Scioscia gave some of the credit to Lasorda, who had learned Spanish during his time in the Caribbean winter leagues, and "gave him all instructions in Spanish."<ref name=martinez_09192012>Template:Cite news</ref> Scioscia also "learned Spanish just so he could communicate with Fernando", according to Lasorda.<ref name="oats_03141985" /> In 1981, the manager strictly platooned Scioscia and Steve Yeager at catcher, with Yeager seeing limited playing time with the Dodgers facing only 14 left-handers during the season.<ref name=turbow_10262017>Template:Cite news</ref> In game 3 of the World Series, Valenzuela was struggling when Lasorda substituted Scioscia, with whom the pitcher was more familiar, in place of Yeager, after Yankees left-hander Dave Righetti had exited the game.<ref name=turbow_10262017/><ref name=oats_03141985>Template:Cite news</ref> Lasorda credited Scioscia with steadying Valenzuela.<ref name=oats_03141985/>
"El Toro"Edit
Following his debut, Valenzuela, nicknamed {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (the Bull) by fans, settled down and established himself as a workhorse starter and one of the league's best pitchers.<ref name=wilson>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> From 1981 to 1986, Valenzuela was named an All-Star six straight times<ref name=cromwell/> and recorded an ERA of 3.14 or below in five of these years. He also recorded top-five Cy Young Award finishes in 1981, 1982, 1985, and 1986.<ref name="br" />
Valenzuela repeatedly commanded record-setting salaries. Prior to the 1983 season, Valenzuela became the first player to be awarded a $1,000,000 salary in arbitration (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year), with his drawing power cited as part of the pitch.<ref name=":2" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Before the 1986 season, he signed a contract worth $5.5 million over three years (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year), then the wealthiest contract for a pitcher in baseball history. His annual average salary of $1,833,333 and 1988 salary of $2.05 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year) also both set records for a pitcher.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1986, Valenzuela finished 21–11 with a 3.14 ERA and led the league in wins, complete games and innings pitched. He lost a narrow vote for the 1986 NL Cy Young Award to the Astros' Mike Scott.<ref name=Awards86>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also won the Gold Glove.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the 1986 All-Star Game, Valenzuela made history by striking out five consecutive American League batters, tying a record set by fellow left-handed screwballer Carl Hubbell in the 1934 contest.<ref name=Hubbell>Template:Cite news</ref>
Valenzuela's performance declined in 1987 with a 14–14 win–loss record and 3.98 ERA.<ref name=walker_05191989/> In 1988, a year in which the Dodgers won the World Series, he was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career due to left shoulder problems.<ref name=walker_05191989>Template:Cite news</ref> He had pitched 255 games without missing a start.<ref name=cromwell/> Valenzuela was out for two months,<ref name=LNS/> before making a cameo appearance with a three-inning start and a four-inning relief stint.<ref name=riggs_03071989>Template:Cite news</ref> He finished the season 5–8 with a 4.24 ERA,<ref name=walker_05191989/> before being left off the playoff roster and getting needed rest.<ref name=":2"/><ref name=riggs_03071989/> Although the Dodgers awarded him a second World Series ring, he refused to wear it, explaining that "I didn't do anything."<ref name=":7" />
He improved slightly in 1989 and went 10–13.<ref name=LNS/> However, commentators noted "an obvious loss of velocity" following his 1988 shoulder injury.<ref name=":12">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the off-season, he signed a one-year, $2 million contract for 1990.<ref name=":12" /> In 1990, he posted a 13–13 record and his then-career worst 4.59 ERA.<ref name=":9" /> He had one last great moment on June 29, 1990, when he threw a 6–0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals just hours after the Oakland Athletics' Dave Stewart had thrown one against the Toronto Blue Jays.<ref name="cromwell" /> According to Lasorda, Valenzuela predicted to some of his teammates, "That's great, now maybe we'll see another no-hitter".<ref name="plaschke_06301990" /> (Scioscia recalled that Valenzuela's words were "You saw [a no-hitter] on TV, now you're going to see one in person."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":13">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>) It was the first time in the modern baseball era that two no-hitters were thrown on the same day.<ref name="plaschke_06301990">Template:Cite news</ref>
Post-Dodgers careerEdit
After struggling in spring training at 1–2 and a 7.88 ERA in 16 innings in 1991, Valenzuela was released by the Dodgers. At the time of his release, several Dodgers leaders, including Lasorda, Fred Claire, and Peter O'Malley, praised Valenzuela for creating exciting memories over several seasons and indicated that it was a difficult decision to release him.<ref name=LNS>Template:Cite news</ref> However, others described his cut as a cost-cutting move,<ref name="wilson" /> as the Dodgers were facing a deadline to guarantee Valenzuela's $2.55 million contract.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
With respect to the major leagues, 1991 and 1992 were essentially lost seasons for Valenzuela. Being cut late in 1991 spring training, when most rosters were already fixed, made it hard for Valenzuela to find a new team that year.<ref name="wilson" /><ref name=":7" /> He signed with the California Angels later that summer, but played in only two games and posted a 12.15 ERA.<ref name=cromwell/> He spent most of the season on the disabled list due to a heart problem.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1992, he was out of the majors entirely and played for Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League, going 10–9 with a 3.86 overall ERA, including an improved 2.70 in the second half. He completed 13 games in 22 starts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Valenzuela returned to the majors in 1993 with the Baltimore Orioles.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was relatively healthy, making 31 starts, but gave up more walks than strikeouts for only the second time in his career (the other time being his injury-plagued 1988 season). His ERA was an unimpressive 4.94. He returned to the Mexican League for the start of 1994, but got another opportunity in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies, who needed injury replacements for their starting rotation. He pitched well, starting 7 games and recording a 3.00 ERA until a players' strike wiped out the remainder of the season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When the Phillies announced that Valenzuela would start the July 4, 1994, Dodgers-Phillies game in Los Angeles, the Dodgers sold nearly 20,000 tickets within a week and recorded a sellout. Valenzuela gave up two runs in six innings; both runs were partially caused by a muffed fly ball "that was charitably scored a double." The Dodgers won 3–1.<ref name=":4" />
Valenzuela moved back to Southern California to play for the San Diego Padres, with whom he enjoyed his last successful season in 1996, going 13–8 with a 3.62 ERA.<ref name="cromwell">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Valenzuela started MLB's first-ever game in Mexico,<ref name=":14">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> helping the Padres beat the New York Mets at the Estadio Monterrey on August 16, 1996.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On June 13, 1997, the Padres traded Valenzuela, Scott Livingstone, and Phil Plantier to the St. Louis Cardinals for Rich Batchelor, Danny Jackson, and Mark Sweeney.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He made five starts for the Cardinals, ending his MLB career with a record of 173–153 and a 3.54 ERA.<ref name="br" />
The Dodgers invited Valenzuela to spring training in 1999, but he declined the offer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In his mid-40s, he played a couple of seasons in the Mexican Pacific League for Águilas de Mexicali.<ref name=BRMinors/>
Player profileEdit
PitchingEdit
Valenzuela relied on deception, command, and a large arsenal of off-speed pitches to keep opposing batters off balance. During his rookie year, Sandy Koufax noted that "it's very unusual for someone that young to have such control over so many pitches."<ref name=":10" /> He was never a power pitcher; at his peak he threw roughly 87–88 mph, which fell to 83–84 mph or below during his final Dodgers years and 79-84 mph in 1994.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref> However, Valenzuela's longtime catcher Mike Scioscia recalled that at his peak, Valenzuela "had impeccable command" and could "move a ball 3 or 4 inches more off the corner at will." He praised Valenzuela's ability to disguise his pitches, noting that "everything looked like a fastball out of his hand."<ref name=":13" />
He was best known for his screwball,<ref name=":11" /> which looked like a fastball and broke late.<ref name=":15" /> He was able to throw screwballs at varying velocities,<ref name=":10" /> and he could also cause them to break vertically or laterally.<ref name=":17">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rick Monday recalled that Valenzuela's screwball was so deceptive that it could generate swinging strikes even if Valenzuela was having trouble targeting it that day.<ref name=":16">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, he also threw an effective curveball, and was also known to throw a changeup, a sinker, and a slider.<ref name=":10" /> In his later years he added a cutter to mitigate his diminishing effectiveness.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":12" />
A workhorse starter, Valenzuela was able to remain effective late in games, despite high pitch counts, which Scioscia credited to his slow heartbeat and ability to "slow the game down."<ref name=":15" /> In Game 3 of the 1981 World Series, with the Dodgers down 2–0 to the New York Yankees, Valenzuela struggled through difficult circumstances: he was pitching on short rest,<ref name=":17" /> he could not locate his signature screwball,<ref name=":16" /> and he surrendered nine hits and seven walks.<ref name="turbow_10262017" /> He needed 72 pitches to get through the first three innings,<ref name="turbow_10262017" /> and Valenzuela later recalled that Tommy Lasorda considered pulling him in the third inning.<ref name=":16" /> Nonetheless, he convinced Lasorda to leave him in the game. He shut down the Yankees offense for the next six innings to earn a complete game victory.<ref name=":16" /> He threw over 145 pitches that game,<ref name=":9" /> although the exact number is disputed.
Valenzuela was known for his unusual windup, which involved a skyward glance on every pitch, as well as his high leg kick.<ref name=":17" /> He said that he developed the former habit spontaneously during his time in the Dodgers' minor league system.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
HittingEdit
Valenzuela was considered an atypically good hitter for a pitcher. He won the Silver Slugger award for pitchers in 1981 and 1983.<ref name="almanac" /> Of his 41.5 career wins above replacement (WAR), 4.1 were attributed to his bat, including 1.2 WAR in 1990 (in just 78 plate appearances) and 0.6 WAR in both 1981 and 1986 (71 and 116 plate appearances, respectively). By way of comparison, Mike Hampton (the all-time leader in pitching Silver Sluggers) never tallied more than 1.2 batting WAR in a single season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Valenzuela's best year at the plate was 1990—his last year with the Dodgers—when he had a .304 batting average with five doubles, a home run, and 11 runs batted in (RBIs) in 69 at-bats. That gave him a 101 OPS+, meaning Valenzuela ranked just above average among all NL hitters that year, including non-pitchers. He batted .200 for his career (187 hits in 936 at-bats, roughly equivalent to two seasons as a position player) with 10 home runs, 26 doubles, and 84 RBIs.<ref name="br" /> Valenzuela was even used on occasion as a pinch-hitter, batting .368 (7-for-19) as such. Twice while with the Dodgers, Valenzuela was called upon to play the outfield and first base in marathon extra-inning games in which he did not pitch.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
RetirementEdit
Valenzuela was angry at the Dodgers over his 1991 release for beyond a decade. Although he lived close to Dodger Stadium, he boycotted games and team-sponsored activities.<ref name=wilson/> In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers organization as the Spanish-language radio color commentator for NL West games, joining Jaime Jarrín and Pepe Yñiguez in the Spanish-language booth. In 2015, he made the jump to television, becoming the Spanish-language color commentator for the Dodgers' cable affiliate SportsNet LA.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He stepped down from broadcasting in the last week of the 2024 regular season.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Valenzuela served on Team Mexico's World Baseball Classic coaching staff in 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2017.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Valenzuela purchased the Mexican League team Tigres de Quintana Roo in 2017.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
LegacyEdit
Statistical profile and league-wide honorsEdit
Valenzuela's 41.45 career wins above replacement is the highest for a Mexican player in MLB history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on August 23, 2003, in a pregame ceremony at Dodger Stadium.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2005, he was named one of three starting pitchers on MLB's Latino Legends Team.<ref name="Legends">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2013, he was enshrined into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.<ref name="Gonzalez" /> Valenzuela was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2006.<ref name="BRSOTE Inductees">"Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees" Template:Webarchive. Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved August 14, 2019.</ref>
On July 6, 2019, the Mexican Baseball League commemorated Valenzuela's legacy by retiring his jersey number 34 from the entire league.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In the 2003 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, Valenzuela's first year of eligibility, he received 6.3% of the vote. He dropped off the ballot the following year.<ref name=":2" /> As of August 2023, he has never been considered for induction by the Veterans' Committee.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Commentators have occasionally questioned whether Valenzuela's sharp mid-career decline was due to overuse (Valenzuela led the league in batters faced three times in his first seven seasons), and whether he could have accumulated the counting stats necessary for the Hall of Fame if modern best practices had been in place during the 1980s.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":17" /> Although some commentators suggested that Valenzuela's reliance on the screwball caused permanent damage to his shoulder,<ref name=":17" /> Dodgers orthopedist Frank Jobe firmly attributed his decline to overuse, explaining that "Fernando pitched a horrendous number of innings" during his years with the team.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Impact on the DodgersEdit
Valenzuela was an iconic figure for the Mexican-American community in Los Angeles and his impact "transform[ed] what had been predominantly a white [Dodger] fan base."<ref name=":2" /> The Dodgers had previously courted controversy among Los Angeles' Latino community due to the location of Dodger Stadium. Starting in 1951, the city of Los Angeles had struggled to evict a predominantly Latino, working-class community in the Chavez Ravine neighborhood (see Battle of Chavez Ravine).<ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The city promised the nearly 1,800 displaced families, which also included Italian-Americans and Chinese-Americans, that it would allow the families to return after building a public housing project on the site.<ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, Norris Poulson was elected mayor in 1953 on a platform opposing public housing, and the housing plan was canceled.<ref name=":5" />
When the Brooklyn Dodgers announced that they were looking for a new city, Poulson sold the Chavez Ravine site to the team at a below-market price, allowing the Dodgers to build Dodger Stadium.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although the Dodgers were not directly responsible for evicting the residents of Chavez Ravine, they were the greatest beneficiary of the eviction, and thereby became a target of resentment for many Latinos in the area.<ref name=":2" />
Valenzuela's rise is credited with helping heal the divide between Latinos and the Dodger franchise.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":8" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jaime Jarrín, the Dodgers' longtime Spanish-language broadcaster, estimated that before Fernandomania, no more than 10% of fans at Dodger home games were Latino, a figure that rose to 54% by 2015.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition to Mexican-Americans, teammate Dusty Baker noted that other Latin Americans rallied behind Valenzuela.<ref name=":15">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although the Dodgers consistently led the majors in attendance before Valenzuela's debut, his performances drew even larger crowds to Dodger Stadium. In 1981, the Dodgers' average attendance was 42,523, which rose to 48,430 when Valenzuela started at home.<ref name=":2" /> Vin Scully later said that "Fernandomania bordered on a religious experience."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Dodgers retired Valenzuela's jersey number 34 on August 11, 2023, celebrating the event with a "Fernandomania" weekend on August 11–13.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Along with Jim Gilliam, Valenzuela is one of only two Dodgers to receive this honor despite not being in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Although Valenzuela's number was not officially retired for several decades after Valenzuela left the Dodgers, the team had consistently (though unofficially) kept the number out of circulation out of respect for Valenzuela.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Dodgers also invited Valenzuela to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Game 2 of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium, where he was introduced by retired announcer Vin Scully and joined by Steve Yeager.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Additionally, the team honored him by naming him to the inaugural Legends of Dodger Baseball class in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On October 26, 2010, ESPN broadcast a documentary commemorating Valenzuela's arrival with the Dodgers titled Fernando Nation as part of their 30 for 30 documentary series.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
In 1981, Valenzuela married Linda Burgos, a schoolteacher from Mexico. Early in his career, Valenzuela and his family spent offseasons between the Mexican cities of Etchohuaquila and Mérida.<ref name=Castro>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The couple had four children, Fernando Jr., Ricardo, Linda, and Maria Fernanda.<ref name=Broadcasters>Broadcasters Template:Webarchive. MLB.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.</ref><ref name=":9" /> Fernando Jr. played in the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations as a first baseman before switching to independent league baseball and Mexican minor league baseball.<ref name=JuniorBR>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Valenzuela became a U.S. citizen on July 22, 2015, at a ceremony in downtown Los Angeles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following his naturalization, President Obama appointed him a special ambassador for citizenship and naturalization, "promoting the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of citizenship among eligible lawful permanent residents."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Valenzuela participated in two Tournament of Roses Parades—in 1983 aboard the float from the Government of Mexico and in 2008 aboard the Los Angeles Dodgers' float. In 1981, Valenzuela participated in the East Los Angeles Christmas Parade as Grand Marshal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Illness and deathEdit
On October 1, 2024, it was announced that Valenzuela had been hospitalized for an undisclosed illness.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Dodgers announced the following day that he would "not be in the broadcast booth for the remainder of this year to focus on his health."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Death and funeralEdit
Valenzuela died in a Los Angeles hospital on October 22, 2024, at the age of 63, three days before the 2024 World Series began between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees.<ref name=":2" /> His funeral took place on November 6, 2024, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where he was eulogized by his son Fernando Jr. and Mike Scioscia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was cremated, and his ashes were interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Shortly after his death, Valenzuela's illness was reported to have been liver cancer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, his official death certificate concluded that he died of septic shock due to malfunctioning organs, which it attributed to a combination of nonalcoholic and alcoholic cirrhosis. The death certificate added that Valenzuela also might have been suffering from Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
MemorialsEdit
Before Game 1 of the World Series, fans left flowers and memorabilia at the Dodger Stadium sign outside the stadium. In Game 1, the Dodgers commemorated Valenzuela's life and career with a ceremony featuring Valenzuela's wife and children and a moment of silence.<ref name="valenzuelaworldseriestribute">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="game1tribute">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="valenzuelawstribute">Template:Cite news</ref> Valenzuela's teammates Orel Hershiser and Steve Yeager were supposed to throw out the opening pitch, but did not do so out of respect for Valenzuela. Instead, Hershiser placed a baseball on the pitcher's mound, which was painted with Valenzuela's No. 34. Hershiser and Yeager also wore Valenzuela's jersey for the ceremony.<ref name="game1tribute" /> Flags flew at half-staff and a mariachi band performed at the game.<ref name="valenzuelaworldseriestribute" /><ref name="game1tribute" /><ref name="valenzuelawstribute" />
The Dodgers further announced that they would wear a uniform patch honoring Valenzuela during the 2024 World Series and 2025 season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Coincidentally, the Dodgers' World Series celebrations took place on November 1, 2024, on what would have been Valenzuela's 64th birthday.<ref name=valenzuelavictoryparadetribute>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A number of people attending the victory parade and Dodger Stadium celebration held signs commemorating his birthday,<ref name=valenzuelavictoryparadetribute /> and fans sang "Happy Birthday" all along the parade route.<ref name=birthdaytribute>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Artist Robert Vargas completed a large mural of Valenzuela in Boyle Heights shortly after Valenzuela's death.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
NotesEdit
See alsoEdit
- List of Major League Baseball annual shutout leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career bases on balls allowed leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career wild pitches leaders
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players from Mexico
ReferencesEdit
Sources
- Template:Cite news
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}
External linksEdit
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