Former MLB superstar Fernando Valenzuela has died at the age of 63

CNN
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Fernando Valenzuela, the legendary pitcher whose incredible rise to stardom with the Los Angeles Dodgers captivated baseball fans and created the cultural phenomenon known as “Fernandomania,” died Tuesday, according to the Dodgers. Valenzuela was 63.

Before the Dodgers' 2024 postseason, the team announced that Valenzuela would step away from his usual broadcasting duties for the remainder of the season “to focus on his health.”

“He is one of the most influential Dodgers of all time and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” club president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement.

MLB commissioner Robert Manfred Jr. called Valenzuela “one of the most influential players of his generation.” He said the famous pitcher will be honored during the upcoming World Series.

During his 17-year MLB career, Valenzuela was a six-time All-Star. He finished his career with 173 regular season wins and over 2,000 strikeouts.

Valenzuela played 11 seasons with the Dodgers and had stints with the California Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres.

The youngest of twelve children, Valenzuela came from the small Mexican town of Etchohuaquila in the state of Sonora and became one of the most famous figures in the history of Major League Baseball.

One of the reasons he was so popular with fans was his atypical physique. He wore his thick hair long, was a bit chubby, but his iconic swagger, confident demeanor and dominant pitching performances captivated the Latino community and the world alike.

Valenzuela was thrust into the global spotlight 24 hours in advance in 1981 when Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda named him the team's opening day starting pitcher due to short-term injuries to the club's first two starters.

It was a situation that Dodgers executives could never have imagined, having had the luxury in previous years of turning to Cy Young Award winners like Don Newcombe, Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax to open the season turn around.

In comparison, Valenzuela had only pitched a total of 17 innings of relief in the majors, albeit scoreless innings; his resume hardly resembled that of a traditional one Prelude to opening day.

As if that wasn't enough pressure, Valenzuela started against the defending NL West champion Houston Astros, who eliminated the Dodgers in a one-game playoff tiebreaker last season.

None of that seemed to matter to the 5-foot-10, 180-pound left-hander, as he expertly retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced for a complete-game, five-hit shutout, according to Baseball Almanac Stats managed. The Dodgers would win the game 2-0 in front of a sold-out crowd of 50,511 at Dodger Stadium.

The previously unknown rookie pitcher became a phenomenon as he followed his opening day performance with seven wins in his next seven starts in dominant fashion.

“El Toro” finished his His rookie year was a strike-shortened season with a 13-7 record and a 2.48 ERA, which he capped off in 1981 by throwing out a complete game in a Dodgers' World Series win over the New York Yankees.

Valenzuela became the only player in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award and the Rookie of the Year Award in the same season.

The Mexican-born pitcher's rise to stardom went beyond the pitching mound. He was a cultural phenomenon who gave the Latino community in the United States a role model to get excited about.

Famous Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully described “Fernandomania” as a “religious experience,” and for many, that’s exactly what it was.

In ritual fashion, fans lined up in droves to watch the burly boy from Sonora take the mound. They appear at Dodger Stadium in their Valenzuela attire. Mexican folk music was played in the stadium, and the Dodgers even hired more Spanish-speaking ushers to accommodate the influx of new Hispanic fans.

According to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), the number of Mexican radio stations broadcasting Dodgers games increased from three to 17. At the height of “Fernandomania” The Spanish broadcasts had more than twice as many listeners as Scully, according to SABR.

Valenzuela Following his rookie year, he made six straight All-Star Games and won two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove.

His best season on the mound came in 1986, when the screwball pitcher finished with a career-best 21 wins, including 20 complete games.

In 1991, the Dodgers released Valenzuela during spring training. After leaving the Dodgers, Valenzuela pitched with other teams in the majors and struggled to get back into form before retiring in 2017.

Following his playing career, Valenzuela began hosting games on the Dodgers' Spanish-language radio show in 2003 alongside his former interpreter Jaime Jarrin.

Valenzuela's iconic No. 34 jersey was retired by the Dodgers in 2023, becoming the first player in franchise history to receive this honor without being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

He leaves behind his wife Linda and their four children.