LOS ANGELES () — Fernando Valenzuela made his Dodgers debut in 1980, but it was the following year when “Fernandomania” took off – something no one could have predicted.
For his teammates, like catcher Steve Yeager, they knew that even at 19 years old, Valenzuela was special.
“In spring training, we got a little idea of what this young man could do,” Yeager said. “He never got rattled. I’ve never seen a game where (Valenzuela) didn’t know what to do with the ball.”
Valenzuela, the 1981 NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award winner, died at age 63 on Tuesday, one day shy of the 43rd anniversary of his 147-pitch complete game that led the Dodgers over the Yankees in World Series Game 3. After losing the first two games at Yankee Stadium, the Dodgers won four in a row for their first title since 1965.
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“He won the hearts of the fans in Los Angeles and across the country, and he earned the respect of his teammates,” Yeager said.
“He changed the world from Latin America all the way to Canada,” said Dusty Baker, who won the World Series alongside Valenzuela in 1981. “I mean all they were talking about was Fernando. He didn’t even have a second name.”
The Mexican-born pitcher’s humble beginnings and success on the mound made him popular with Los Angeles’ Latino community.
“‘Fernandomania’ was a phenomenon in its own right,” said former Dodgers third baseman Ron Cey, a member of the 1981 team. “I think if Walter O’Malley had been alive to see a Hispanic player of prominence come into Los Angeles, it was like a dream come true.”
“He was a magnificent person, a great friend, a great teammate and what he did, he did it his way,” Yeager said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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