LOS ANGELES () — Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, a Dodgers icon whose “Fernandomania” fame swept through all of baseball in the 1980s, has died at age 63.
The team confirmed his death on X, posting “The Los Angeles Dodgers mourn the passing of legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.”
His death comes as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series on Friday night at home against the New York Yankees. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela would be honored during the series at Dodger Stadium.
The cause of death has not been released.
Valenzuela had left his color commentator job on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcast in September without explanation. He was reported to have been hospitalized earlier this month. His job kept him as a regular at Dodger Stadium, where he held court in the press box dining room before games and remained popular with fans who sought him out for photos and autographs.
Valenzuela was one of the most dominant players of his era and a wildly popular figure in the 1980s, although he was never elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, he is part of Cooperstown, which features several artifacts including a signed ball from his no-hitter in 1990.
“He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” Stan Kasten, team president and CEO, said in a statement. “He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster. He has left us all too soon.”
Mural honoring Fernando Valenzuela coming to Boyle Heights
There will soon be a new mural celebrating Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela in Boyle Heights.
Fernando Valenzuela was born in 1960 in the small town of Etchohuaquila in Sorona, Mexico — the youngest of 12 children — and inherited the love of baseball from his father Avelino, a farmer.
All of his older brothers played baseball, and naturally, Fernando followed in their footsteps.
At the age of 17, Valenzuela began his journey towards Major League Baseball — first playing pro ball in the Mexican Central League and Mexican Baseball League.
In 1978, legendary Dodger scout Mike Brito made a trip to Silao, Mexico and got his first glimpse of Valenzuela on the mound. The 17-year-old impressed the veteran scout, not just with his athletic ability, but his fearlessness on the bump.
Peter O’Malley, wanting a Mexican star to play for the Dodgers, paid $120,000 on July 7, 1979, to purchase Valenzuela’s contract from Puebla, of the Mexican League, then sending the 19-year-old to Lodi in the California League.
While playing in Lodi, Brito noticed that Valenzuela’s fastball didn’t improve and told General Manager Al Campanis that Valenzuela would need another pitch besides his curveball to survive the majors.
In 1979 in Arizona, Dodger Pitcher Bobby Castillo, who was recovering from an injury, taught Valenzuela how to throw a screwball.
Within a year Valenzuela was throwing the screwball as well as Castillo, and quickly rose through the Dodgers’ minor league teams. Then in 1981, Jerry Reuss was scheduled to start on Opening Day for the Dodgers but injured his ankle, and Tommy Lasorda named 20-year-old Fernando Valenzuela the Opening Day starter.
Valenzuela shut out the Astros 2-0 and “Fernandomania” was born.
The nation was introduced to Valenzuela’s unusual pitching motion as he glanced skyward in his wind-up, and started his rookie season 8-0 with five shutouts.
The 1981 players strike wiped out part of the season, but Valenzuela still finished 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA. He also won both the Rookie of the Year and the CY Young Award.
Valenzuela helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series over the Yankees, but more importantly, he helped build a bridge between the organization and the Mexican community.
“Fernandomania” didn’t just take over Los Angeles but all of Major League Baseball, as it gave the sport a shot in the arm. Reporters waited for Valenzuela at every visiting city, magazines wanted in-depth stories and fans filled ballparks.
Valenzuela didn’t speak English, was soft-spoken overall and a private person, which helped him deal with the pressure of instant stardom. The joke was — Fernando didn’t know the meaning of the word “pressure.”
Valenzuela pitched 11 years of his 17-year career with the Dodgers, finishing with 173 wins and a 3.54 ERA. He pitched his only no-hitter on June 29, 1990, against the Cardinals.
After his final Major League pitch, Valenzuela continued pitching. His last professional game was in 2006 for Los Aguilas de Mexicali.
He joined the Dodgers’ Spanish broadcast team in 2003 and spent the next 21 years calling games for the Dodgers.
As a show of respect, the Dodgers unofficially kept Valenzuela’s jersey #34 out of circulation. And last season, on August 11, the Dodgers officially retired his number, becoming the 12th Dodger to receive the honor.
In addition to his sons, he is survived by his wife, Linda, who was a schoolteacher from Mexico whom he married in 1981, and daughters Linda and Maria as well as seven grandchildren.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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