The Dodgers introduced that six-time All-Star Fernando Valenzuela has handed away. He was 63. MLB will honor Valenzuela throughout the upcoming World Sequence video games at Dodger Stadium.
“On behalf of the Dodger group, we profoundly mourn the passing of Fernando,” Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten mentioned in a press release. “He is among the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes. He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and has remained near our hearts ever since, not solely as a participant but in addition as a broadcaster. He has left us all too quickly. Our deepest condolences exit to his spouse Linda and his household.
Commissioner Rob Manfred launched a press release of his personal. “Fernando Valenzuela was some of the impactful gamers of his era. Along with his distinctive pitching type, the Dodger left-hander’s rookie season generated a lot pleasure within the U.S. and his native Mexico that it turned generally known as ‘Fernandomania.’ His 1981 season ranks among the many most adorned pitching years of all-time as Fernando was the Nationwide League Rookie of the 12 months, the NL Cy Younger Award winner, a Silver Slugger, and a World Sequence Champion.”
As each Kasten and Manfred referenced, Valenzuela was finest identified for his electrical rookie season. The Mexican-born hurler signed with the Dodgers out of his dwelling nation in 1979. Whereas he was simply 18 on the time, it didn’t take lengthy earlier than he pitched his method to Dodger Stadium. Valenzuela made all of 30 appearances within the minor leagues earlier than making his MLB debut as a September call-up in 1980. Pitching out of the bullpen, the 19-year-old fired 17 2/3 innings with out permitting an earned run to shut the season. It was a preview of the phenomenon that was to come back.
The Dodgers tabbed Valenzuela as their Opening Day starter in 1981 after anticipated starter Jerry Reuss suffered an harm. He tossed a five-hit shutout towards the Astros in his first profession begin. That was solely the start of some of the dominant two-month stretches of pitching in historical past. Valenzuela adopted up with a 10-strikeout full recreation in a 7-1 victory over the Giants. He’d rattle off three straight shutouts thereafter, recording two extra double-digit strikeout performances within the course of. He closed out April with a 5-0 file and one run allowed in 45 innings.
Valenzuela’s shutout streak was snapped when he “merely” threw a one-run full recreation win over the Expos throughout his first look of Might. He blanked the Mets with 11 strikeouts in his subsequent look, then tossed one other full recreation win (this time with two earned runs) towards Montreal. Valenzuela accomplished and gained every of his first eight large league begins whereas working a cumulative 0.50 earned run common — all at age 20.
That sheer dominance, which got here on the again of a wiffle ball-style screwball, was solely part of Valenzuela’s immense reputation. A younger Mexican-born pitcher acting at an historic stage in Southern California made him an icon amongst Latin American followers, specifically. Valenzuela’s rookie yr shortly turned the stuff of legend, and the “Fernandomania” moniker that it took on stays a key chapter in MLB historical past greater than 4 many years later.
After all, Valenzuela’s profession stretched properly past these magical two months. His rookie yr was interrupted by the participant’s strike that stopped play between the center of June and the second week of August. The Dodgers, who had been 36-21 on the time of the work stoppage, had been declared the first-half winners of the NL West title. They knocked off the second-half NL West champion Astros in a rapidly applied Division Sequence — the Wild Card wouldn’t be applied till greater than a decade later — earlier than toppling Montreal within the NLCS.
That arrange a World Sequence showdown with the Yankees. Los Angeles knocked off New York in what had been the newest Fall Basic matchup between the behemoths. Valenzuela acquired the win with a four-run full recreation in Recreation 3, the primary of 4 straight victories for the Dodgers after they dropped the primary two within the Bronx.
It was an excellent ending to one of many biggest rookie seasons the sport has ever seen. Valenzuela turned in a 2.48 ERA throughout an NL-leading 192 1/3 innings. His eight shutouts and 180 strikeouts each led all main league pitchers. He topped future Corridor of Famer Tim Raines for Rookie of the 12 months and edged out two extra legends — Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton — to win the Cy Younger. He completed fifth in MVP balloting and picked up a Silver Slugger for NL pitchers for good measure. Valenzuela tossed 40 2/3 innings of two.21 ERA ball over his 5 postseason begins.
Valenzeula’s rookie season was so distinctive that it essentially represented the height of his profession. But that on no account diminishes what he achieved all through the Eighties. The southpaw remained a pressure atop the L.A. rotation all through the last decade. Valenzuela made the All-Star crew in every of his first six full seasons. He topped 250 innings yearly between 1982-87.
He fired 285 innings of two.87 ERA ball in his second yr, tying for third in Cy Younger balloting within the course of. He’d earn two extra top-five finishes in the midst of the last decade — together with a runner-up placement behind Mike Scott throughout an ’86 season wherein he struck out 242 hitters and tossed an MLB-leading 20 full video games. The Dodgers made the postseason in 1983 and ’85, dropping within the NLCS each occasions. They returned to the World Sequence in 1988 and defeated the A’s in seven video games. Valenzuela missed that collection on account of harm however collected a second ring after throwing 142 1/3 common season innings.
Valenzuela remained with the Dodgers for an additional few seasons, however his manufacturing waned on the finish of the last decade. The Dodgers moved on after he allowed an NL-most 104 earned runs in 1990. It wasn’t yr total, although Valenzuela had his ultimate spotlight in a Dodger uniform when he no-hit the Cardinals that June. He bounced round between the Mexican League and MLB for an additional few seasons, most notably spending three years with the Padres. He made one ultimate journey to the postseason with San Diego in 1996 and completed his MLB taking part in profession the next season. Valenzuela made a short return to the mound in his dwelling nation within the mid-2000s.
Extra to come back.
