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Fernando Valenzuela

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Argentine footballer, see Carlos Valenzuela. For the Spanish marquis and grandee, see Fernando de Valenzuela, 1st Marquis of Villasierra.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Valenzuela and the second or maternal family name is Anguamea.
Fernando Valenzuela
Valenzuela in 1986
Pitcher
Born: (1960-11-01)November 1, 1960
Etchohuaquila, Sonora, Mexico
Died: October 22, 2024(2024-10-22) (aged 63)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 15, 1980, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
July 14, 1997, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Win–loss record173–153
Earned run average3.54
Strikeouts2,074
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the Mexican Professional
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2014

Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (Latin American Spanish pronunciation: [feɾˈnando βalenˈswela]; November 1, 1960 – October 22, 2024) was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1991 and 1993 to 1997; while he played for a total of six MLB teams, his longest tenure — and most significant achievements — was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Valenzuela batted and threw left-handed, with an unorthodox windup and was one of a small number of pitchers who regularly threw a screwball in the modern era.

Signed by the Dodgers on July 6, 1979, Valenzuela made his debut late in the 1980 season. By 1981, what came to be called "Fernandomania" took him from relative obscurity to stardom in a brief time. He won his first eight starts, five of them shutouts, and dazzled not just the Dodgers and their fans, but all of Major League Baseball. He finished with a record of 13–7 and had a 2.48 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 Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.[1] The Dodgers won the World Series that year.

Valenzuela had the best period of his career from 1981 to 1986; he was named a National League (NL) All-Star in each season and won a National League-leading 21 games in 1986, although Mike Scott of the Houston Astros narrowly beat him out in the Cy Young Award voting.[2] 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.[3] However, for the remainder of Valenzuela's Dodgers career, his pitching efforts were rendered less effective, largely due to nagging shoulder problems.[4] He was on the Dodgers' 1988 World Series championship team, but he did not play that postseason because of his ailing shoulder. On June 29, 1990, Valenzuela threw his only MLB no-hitter, pitching at Dodger Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals, a 6–0 victory.[5] Despite having recently shown flashes of his former self, he was unceremoniously released by the Dodgers just prior to the 1991 season. The remainder of his major league career was spent with the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals.

After his major league career ended, Valenzuela pitched a couple of seasons in Mexico in his 40s. In 2003, he returned to the Dodgers as a broadcaster, and remained until shortly before his death in 2024.[6][7] The Dodgers retired his No. 34 in 2023. His career highlights include a win-loss record of 173–153, with an earned run average (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 life

[edit]

Valenzuela was the youngest of 12 children, born in Etchohuaquila, a small town within the municipality of Navojoa in the state of Sonora, Mexico, on November 1, 1960.[8][9][10] His parents, Avelino and María, were poor farmers who worked the land with the help of their children[11] and were of Mayo indigenous ancestry.[12][13]

Playing career

[edit]

Early career in Mexico

[edit]

In 1977, Valenzuela began his professional baseball career when he signed 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.[14]

A number of Major League Baseball (MLB) teams scouted Valenzuela during this time. Los Angeles Dodgers scout Mike Brito had gone 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".[15] The Dodgers bought out his Liga contract on July 6, 1979, for $120,000.[8]

Move to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization

[edit]

After acquiring Valenzuela in the summer of 1979, the Dodgers assigned him to the Lodi Dodgers of the High-A level California League where he posted a 1–2 record and a 1.13 earned run average (ERA) in limited action.[16] 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.[17] In 1980 Valenzuela was promoted to the Double-A level San Antonio Dodgers. There Valenzuela led the Texas League with 162 strikeouts, finishing the season with a 13–9 win–loss record and a 3.10 ERA.[18]

Valenzuela was called up to the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen in September 1980.[19] In his first game on September 15 against Atlanta, his catcher was Mike Scioscia, who spoke some Spanish; Valenzuela spoke little English.[20] In the last month of the season, Valenzuela helped the Dodgers to a tie with the Houston Astros for the National League West Division lead, pitching 172⁄3 scoreless innings of relief over the course of 10 games, during which he earned two wins and a save. However, the Dodgers then lost a one-game tiebreaker—and thus, the division championship—to the Astros.[19]

"Fernandomania"

[edit]
Valenzuela was the first to win the MLB Rookie of the Year Award and Cy Young awards in the same season.

The following season, Valenzuela was named the 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. Valenzuela shut out the Houston Astros 2–0.[21] He began the season 8–0 with seven complete games, five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50 in eight starts.[22] 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.[23] It was a habit he claims to have developed spontaneously, although not until joining the Dodgers.[24] His most prominent and effective pitch was the screwball,[25] which had not been a popular pitch for decades.[26]

An instant media icon, Valenzuela drew large crowds from Los Angeles' Latino community every time he pitched and triggered high demand across the country for his rookie 1981 Topps and Fleer baseball cards. The craze surrounding Valenzuela came to be known as "Fernandomania".[27] His starts drew large crowds in every city.[22] 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. He was also the first rookie to lead the National League in strikeouts. The Dodgers won the World Series that season.[21]

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 all pitchers in complete games (11), shutouts (8), innings pitched (192.1), and strikeouts (180). In the NL West Division Series against the Houston Astros, Valenzuela became the youngest pitcher to start the first game of any postseason series and later pitched a complete game in game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.[28] In total, he went 3–1 in the postseason with a 2.21 ERA in 40+2⁄3 innings,[29] as he helped the Dodgers win their first World Series since 1965.[30]

Valenzuela with Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1981

In addition to his skills on the mound, Valenzuela also displayed much better offensive skills than most pitchers. During his rookie season, Valenzuela batted .250 and struck out just nine times in 64 at-bats,[3] and he was the recipient of the National League's Silver Slugger Award, becoming the first Dodgers pitcher to win the award.[31]

Scioscia attributed Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda's ability to speak Spanish to some of Valenzuela's early success. "He gave him all instructions in Spanish", said Scioscia.[32] Lasorda learned Spanish while in the Caribbean winter leagues.[32] Throughout the season, Scioscia caught all but two of Valenzuela's starts. Lasorda platooned Scioscia and Steve Yeager at catcher, with Yeager seeing limited playing time with the Dodgers facing only 14 left-handers during the season.[33] 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.[33][34] Lasorda credited Scioscia with steadying Valenzuela. "He learned Spanish just so he could communicate with Fernando", said Lasorda.[34]

"El Toro"

[edit]
Valenzula was named to six consecutive MLB All-Star Games.

Following his debut, Valenzuela, nicknamed El Toro (the Bull) by fans, settled down into a number of years as a workhorse starter and one of the league's best pitchers.[27] Prior to the 1983 season, Valenzuela became the first player to be awarded a $1 million salary in arbitration (equivalent to $3.16 million in 2023).[35]

Prior to the 1986 season, he signed a contract worth $5.5 million over three years (equivalent to $15.29 million in 2023), 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 $5.28 million in 2023) also both set records for a pitcher.[36]

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 National League Cy Young Award to the Astros' Mike Scott.[37] In his sixth straight All-Star appearance in 1986,[38] 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.[39]

In 1987, his performance declined; he earned a 14–14 win–loss record with a 3.98 ERA.[3][40] In 1988, a year in which the Dodgers won the World Series, he won just five games and missed much of the season;[22][40] despite not being on the postseason roster, he still was awarded a second World Series ring.[citation needed]

He improved slightly in 1989 and went 10–13; he posted a 13–13 record in 1990. 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. According to Lasorda, Valenzuela predicted to some of his teammates, "That's great, now maybe we'll see another no-hitter".[41] It was the first time in the modern baseball era that two no-hitters were thrown on the same day.[41]

Post-Dodgers career

[edit]
Valenzuela pitching for the California Angels in 1991

After pitching ineffectively in spring training in 1991, Valenzuela was released by the Dodgers. At the time of Valenzuela's release, several Dodgers leaders, including Lasorda, Fred Claire, and Peter O'Malley, praised Valenzuela for creating exciting memories over several seasons and they indicated that it was a difficult decision to release him.[40] Being cut late in spring training, when most rosters were already fixed, made it hard for Valenzuela to find a new team.[38]

An abortive attempt at a comeback with the California Angels failed later that summer.[38] Valenzuela signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1992, but he never played for the team, with his contract being purchased by the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League. He pitched and played some at first base when he was not on the mound, before making another comeback in 1993 with the Baltimore Orioles.[38]

Valenzuela played for the Philadelphia Phillies and then the San Diego Padres, with whom he enjoyed his last successful season in 1996, going 13–8 with a 3.62 ERA.[38] 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.[42] He made five appearances for the Cardinals, ending his MLB career with a record of 173–153 and a 3.54 ERA.[3]

The Dodgers invited Valenzuela to spring training in 1999, but he declined the offer.[43] In his mid-40s, he played a couple of seasons in the Mexican Pacific League for Águilas de Mexicali.[16]

Hitting

[edit]

Valenzuela was considered an atypically good hitter for a pitcher. His 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 National League hitters that year, including non-pitchers. With 187 hits in 936 career at-bats—roughly two full seasons worth of at-bats for a full-time position player—his career average was .200, with 10 home runs, 26 doubles, and 84 RBIs.[3] Valenzuela was even used on occasion as a pinch-hitter, batting .368 (7-for-19) in such situations. 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.[44] He won the Silver Slugger award for pitchers in 1981 and 1983.[31]

Retirement

[edit]
Valenzuela in 2007

Valenzuela was angry at the Dodgers for beyond a decade over his release. He lived close to Dodger Stadium, but declined to attend games or team-sponsored activities.[38] In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers organization as the Spanish-language radio color commentator for National League West games, joining Jaime Jarrín and Pepe Yñiguez in the Spanish-language booth. In 2015, he was switched to the color commentator job on the Spanish-language feed of SportsNet LA.[45]

Valenzuela also served on the coaching staff of Team Mexico during the 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2009 World Baseball Classic, 2013 World Baseball Classic, and 2017 World Baseball Classic.[46]

Valenzuela purchased the Mexican League team Tigres de Quintana Roo in 2017.[47]

Legacy

[edit]
Fernando Valenzuela's number 34 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023.

Valenzuela's wins above replacement of 41.45 is the highest for a Mexican player in MLB history.[48] He was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on August 23, 2003, in a pregame on the field ceremony at Dodger Stadium.[49] In 2005, he was named one of three starting pitchers on MLB's Latino Legends Team.[50] In 2013, he was enshrined into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.[15] Valenzuela was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2006.[51]

As a show of respect, the Dodgers unofficially kept Valenzuela's jersey number 34 out of circulation.[52] They officially retired his number in a pre-game ceremony on August 11, 2023. He joined Jim Gilliam as the only two non-Hall of Fame Dodgers to have their jersey numbers retired.[53]

The Dodgers named him as part of the initial class of "Legends of Dodger Baseball" in 2019.[54] They inducted Valenzuela to the Dodgers Ring of Honor during "Fernandomania" weekend on August 11–13, 2023.[55]

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.[56]

On October 25, 2017, Valenzuela threw the ceremonial first pitch at Game 2 of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium, introduced by recently-retired announcer Vin Scully, and joined by Steve Yeager.[57][58]

The Mexican Baseball League commemorated Valenzuela's legacy on July 6, 2019, by retiring his jersey number 34 from the entire league.[59]

Personal life

[edit]

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.[60] The couple has four children.[61] One of Valenzuela's sons, Fernando, Jr., played in the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations as a first baseman. Since 2006, Fernando Jr. has played minor league baseball in Mexico or in independent leagues.[62]

Valenzuela became a U.S. citizen on July 22, 2015, at a ceremony in downtown Los Angeles.[63] He 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.[64]

Illness and death

[edit]

On October 1, 2024, it was announced that Valenzuela had been hospitalized for an undisclosed illness, which was subsequently reported to have been liver cancer.[65][66] 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".[67]

Valenzuela died in Los Angeles on October 22, at the age of 63.[68] His death came two days after the Dodgers won the National League pennant, and a tribute to him is planned for the 2024 World Series.[69]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Fernando Valenzuela". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  2. ^ Great Scott's power burned brightest in '86 ESPN.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Fernando Valenzuela Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  4. ^ Valenzuela put on waivers by Dodgers Baltimore Sun.
  5. ^ The Night of Two No-Hitters: Fernando Pitches One for the First Time as He Stymies Cardinals, 6–0 Los Angeles Times
  6. ^ Edel, Victoria; Neumann, Sean (October 23, 2024). "Fernando Valenzuela, Dodgers Legend and Broadcaster, Dies at 63". People.
  7. ^ Fioresi, Dean (October 23, 2024). "Legendary Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela dies at 63". KCAL. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  8. ^ a b O'Connor, Kevin (2002). "Fernando Valenzuela | St. of Pop Culture". Findarticles.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  9. ^ Schoenfield, David (May 14, 2015). "#TBT: Fernandomania!". ESPN. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "Conoce a Fernando 'el Toro' Valenzuela, la leyenda mexicana de Dodgers". Séptima Entrada. June 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  11. ^ Wulf, Steve (March 23, 1981). "No Hideaway for Fernando". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  12. ^ Álvarez, Jaime Ariel (January 29, 2014). "Todos los caminos llevan a Cooperstown". Info Cajeme (in Spanish). Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  13. ^ Zaid, Gabriel (November 1, 2020). "Los mayos". Letras Libres (in Spanish). Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Fernando Valenzuela: 2016 CALIFORNIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE". California Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Gonzalez, Alden (February 3, 2013). "Valenzuela inducted into Caribbean Hall of Fame". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Fernando Valenzuela Minor League Statistics & History. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  17. ^ Crowe, Jerry. A screwball chain of events led the Dodgers to Fernando Valenzuela. Los Angeles Times. March 27, 2011.
  18. ^ 1980 Texas League pitching leaders. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  19. ^ a b Toribio, Juan (April 16, 2021). "Even pre-mania, Fernando was 'amazing'". MLB.com.
  20. ^ Wulf, Steve (March 23, 1981). "NO HIDEAWAY FOR FERNANDO". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Brown, Daniel (February 16, 2012). "Jeremy Lin: Fernando Valenzuela understands Lin-Sanity first hand". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014.
  22. ^ a b c Jaffe, Jay (August 14, 2023). "The Dodgers Finally Call Fernando Valenzuela's Number". FanGraphs. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  23. ^ "SI.com – Writers – Alex Belth: The five true pitching phenoms – Tuesday August 8, 2006 11:33AM". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. August 4, 2006. Archived from the original on August 30, 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
  24. ^ "Fernando Valenzuela interview". Open Your Eyes Magazine (in Spanish). December 20, 2008. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
  25. ^ Schoenfeld, Bruce (July 10, 2014). "The Mystery of the Vanishing Screwball". The New York Times Magzaine. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  26. ^ Gutierrez, Paul (October 23, 2024). "Remembering Fernando Valenzuela and Fernandomania". ESPN. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  27. ^ a b Wilson, Vic. "Fernandomania". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  28. ^ "Phillies lead Dodgers 5–4 after 6". Fox News. May 16, 2008.
  29. ^ "Corey Seager can make history for Dodgers this postseason". Fox Sports. February 25, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  30. ^ O'Dowd, Peter; McMahon, Serena (April 11, 2021). "'Fernandomania' 40 years later: How Fernando Valenzuela captivated baseball fans for decades". WBUR. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "MLB STATS FOR FERNANDO VALENZUELA". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  32. ^ a b Martinez, Hiram (September 19, 2012). "An edge: Spanish-speaking managers". ESPN. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  33. ^ a b Turbow, Jason (October 26, 2017). "The day Fernando Valenzuela threw 146 pitches in a complete-game victory to rescue the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series". The Athletic. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  34. ^ a b Oats, Bob (March 14, 1985). "Take It From the Grapevine: When Mike Scioscia Talks Now in Any Language, the Dodgers Listen : Time to Catch a Rising Star". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  35. ^ "Valenzuela Granted $1 Million". The New York Times. February 20, 1983. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  36. ^ Chass, Murray (February 16, 1986). "Valenzuela Gets $5.5 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  37. ^ "1986 Awards voting". Baseball-Reference.com.
  38. ^ a b c d e f Cromwell, Carter. "June 29, 1990: Fernando Valenzuela predicts, then throws no-hitter for Dodgers". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  39. ^ Friend, Tom (July 17, 1986). "Hubbell: My record didn't mean much: Valenzuela's All-Star strikeout effort doesn't mean much, either, he believes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  40. ^ a b c "Fernando Valenzuela released by Dodgers". Lodi News-Sentinel. AP. March 29, 1991. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  41. ^ a b Plaschke, Bill (June 30, 1990). "The Night of Two No-Hitters : Fernando Pitches One for the First Time as He Stymies Cardinals, 6–0". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  42. ^ "Padres Trade Valenzuela to Cardinals". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 14, 1997. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  43. ^ Bill Shaikin (January 22, 1999). "Valenzuela Has Dodger Invite". Los Angeles Times.
  44. ^ Cousineau, Philippe. "Pitchers in the Field: The Use of Pitchers at Other Positions in the Major Leagues, 1969–2009". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  45. ^ Stephen, Eric (January 30, 2015). "Jaime Jarrín & Jorge Jarrin new Dodgers Spanish radio team". truebluela.com. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  46. ^ "Fernando Valenzuela, Mexican-born pitcher whose feats for Dodgers fueled 'Fernandomania,' dies at 63".
  47. ^ "Valenzuela to buy into Quintana Roo Tigres". MiLB.com.
  48. ^ Zahlmann, Luke (April 27, 2024). "Famous players from Mexico ahead of MLB World Tour's stop in Mexico City". The Denver Gazette. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  49. ^ "Hall of Fame Players – 1999–2005". hhbmhof.com. Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  50. ^ Sanchez, Jesse (October 26, 2005). "Latino Legends team announced". MLB.com. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  51. ^ "Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees" Archived September 19, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  52. ^ "Dodgers' all-time retired numbers". MLB.com. March 11, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  53. ^ "Dodgers to retire Fernando Valenzuela's No. 34 before Friday's game against Rockies". cbsnews.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  54. ^ "Maury Wills named to 'Legends of Dodger Baseball'". MLB.com. April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  55. ^ Flores, Andrea; Martinez, Fidel (August 12, 2023). "Latino fans recall the importance of Fernando's Dodgers career". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  56. ^ "'Fernando Nation' to air on ESPN '30 for 30' on October 26". ESPN. September 30, 2010.
  57. ^ "Watch: Vin Scully brings Dodgers legends for 1st pitch". SI.com. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  58. ^ "Beloved Scully delights Dodgers fans at Game 2". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  59. ^ "Notification of the LMB about the planned award". Milb.com. April 30, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  60. ^ Castro, Tony (July 8, 1985). "Something screwy going on here". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  61. ^ Broadcasters Archived November 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. MLB.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  62. ^ "Fernando Valenzuela Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  63. ^ Painter Lopez, Jill (August 30, 2015). "Fernando Valenzuela Quietly Affirms His Status as a U.S. Citizen". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  64. ^ Jaime-Becerra, Michael (August 10, 2023). "Essay: The Dodgers are retiring Fernando's No. 34. These songs honor his legacy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  65. ^ Nightengale, Bob. "Dodgers icon Fernando Valenzuela is gone. But 'Fernandomania' will live forever". USA Today. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  66. ^ "Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela reportedly hospitalized". KNBC. October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  67. ^ Harris, Jack (October 2, 2024). "Dodgers provide update on Fernando Valenzuela amid absence from broadcasts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  68. ^ Guzman, Ed (October 22, 2024). "Dodgers star Fernando Valenzuela, who sparked Fernandomania, dies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  69. ^ "Fernando Valenzuela, Mexican-born pitcher whose feats for Dodgers fueled 'Fernandomania,' dies at 63". Associated Press. October 22, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.

Sources

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fernando Valenzuela.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Los Angeles Dodgers Opening Day
Starting pitcher
1981
1983–86
1988 		Succeeded by
Preceded by No-hitter pitcher
June 29, 1990 		Succeeded by
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