Six-time All-Star and former Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela has died at the age of 63, MLB announced (via ESPN). The source confirmed that Valenzuela died at a Los Angeles hospital on Tuesday night, but the cause of death was not specified.
Valenzuela was given a chance to break into the big leagues in 1980 when Jerry Reuss was injured the night before Opening Day and Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda joined Valenzuela, who had never played a major league game up to that point. “Tommy Lasorda came up to me and said, 'Are you ready to pitch tomorrow?' “I said, 'I'm ready,'” Valenzuela said last year. “This is what I was looking for; It's an opportunity to show what I can do.”
Valenzuela won the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year honors in 1981, inspiring the fans' chant of “Fernandomania.” He played in MLB for 17 seasons and served as a Spanish-language commentator starting in 2003. Dodgers
“Fernando Valenzuela was one of the most influential players of his generation,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “With his distinctive pitching style, the Dodgers left-hander's rookie season created such a stir in the United States and his native Mexico that it was often referred to as 'Fernandomania.'”
“He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and is on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” Manfred's statement continued. He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season in 1981 and has remained in our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster. He left us too soon.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers are mourning the passing of legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela. pic.twitter.com/MXeBlDzDWJ
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 23, 2024
