Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela has died, the team announced Tuesday. He was 63. Valenzuela will be honored when the 2024 World Series begins at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
“Fernando Valenzuela was one of the most impactful players of his generation,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “… We will honor Fernando’s memory during the 2024 World Series at Dodger Stadium. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Fernando’s family, the Dodgers, his friends across the game, and all the loyal baseball fans of Mexico.”
With a unique delivery and an almost mysterious aura, Valenzuela was a larger-than-life figure who left an indelible mark on Latino community, particularly in Southern California. “Fernandomania” captivated the region and Dodgers fans in the early 1980s, when the left-hander made his MLB debut as a 19-year-old in 1980.
In 1981, Valenzuela won the NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards as a 20-year-old by going 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA in a league-leading 192 1/3 innings during the strike-shortened season. He threw five shutouts in his first eight starts and finished the season with a league-best eight shutouts. Valenzuela made five starts in the 1981 postseason and threw an incredible 40 2/3 innings with a 2.21 ERA as the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Valenzuela went to six consecutive All-Star Games from 1981-86 and also finished in the top five of the Cy Young voting in 1982 1985, and 1986. Although 1981 was his finest season, Valenzuela was one of the game’s greatest pitchers in the 1980s. He averaged 266 innings per year from 1982-87 with a 3.19 ERA, and was the game’s preeminent workhorse. Valenzuela led the league with 21 wins in 1986 and in complete games in both 1985 and 1986.
After 11 seasons with the Dodgers, Valenzuela finished his career with stints with the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals. He also played in the Mexican League. Valenzuela finished his career with a 173-153 record and a 3.54 ERA. He is the all-time leader in wins (173) and innings (2,930) among Mexican-born pitchers. Valenzuela is, by any measure, the greatest Mexican-born player in MLB history.
The Dodgers and Valenzuela did not always have the best relationship, though he eventually accepted an ambassador role with the team, and spent 22 seasons in the club’s Spanish language broadcast booth. He stepped away from the booth to focus on his health earlier this month.
The Dodgers retired Valenzuela’s No. 34 in 2023.
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