LOS ANGELES — One of the most beloved figures in Dodgers franchise history, responsible for bringing an entire demographic into the team’s fan base, Fernando Valenzuela died Tuesday night.
Valenzuela, 63, had been hospitalized for the past few weeks with health problems that his family preferred to keep private.
“This is a crushing blow even though I knew he was in really, really bad shape,” said retired broadcaster Jaime Jarrin, who served as Valenzuela’s interpreter during the Mexican right-hander’s first years in the majors and then as his broadcast partner later. “He was very special to me – and to Dodgers’ fans.”
Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten called Valenzuela “one of the most influential Dodgers ever” and said he “belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes.”
The Dodgers acknowledged that last year when they officially retired his uniform number “34” in a ceremony at the stadium. Previously, the Dodgers had restricted the retired number honor to players elected to the Hall of Fame (with the exception of Jim Gilliam).
“I’m so glad they broke protocol and retired his number. It was well-deserved,” said Orel Hershiser, a teammate of Valenzuela’s for several seasons. “His impact on baseball, on the L.A. Dodgers, the city and what he meant to Latino fans changed the way Dodger baseball was seen.
“I hate to compare him to Jackie Robinson. It wasn’t breaking the color barrier. But what he did … he was a change agent.”
Valenzuela’s phenomenal start to the 1981 season ignited the “Fernandomania” craze and boosted interest in the team among the region’s Mexican-American fan base. The ABBA hit “Fernando” would play as he warmed up on the mound. He went 13-7 and had a 2.48 ERA in his first season, which was shortened by a players’ strike, and won the National League Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year.
Valenzuela left the broadcast booth Sept. 24 during the Dodgers’ series with the San Diego Padres before being hospitalized.
His death comes as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series on Friday night at home against the New York Yankees. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela would be honored during the series at Dodger Stadium.
Kasten said Valenzuela “galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster. He has left us all too soon. Our deepest condolences go out to his wife Linda and his family.”
His broadcasting job kept him as a regular at Dodger Stadium, where he held court in the press box dining room before games and remained popular with fans who sought him out for photos and autographs.
“He consistently supported the growth of the game through the World Baseball Classic and at MLB events across his home country,” Manfred said in a statement. “As a member of the Dodger broadcasting team for more than 20 years, Fernando helped to reach a new generation of fans and cultivate their love of the game. Fernando will always remain a beloved figure in Dodger history and a special source of pride for the millions of Latino fans he inspired.”
One of the most dominant players of his era, the Baseball Hall of Fame features several artifacts including a signed ball from his no-hitter in 1990.
Born in Etchohuaquila, Sonora, Mexico as the youngest of 12 children, Valenzuela made his major league debut at age 19 with the Dodgers on Sept. 15, 1980, throwing 17⅔ innings without allowing an earned run for the remainder of the season.
In 1981, beginning with a 2-0 Opening Day shutout of the Houston Astros in an emergency start, he went on an unprecedented career-opening run, with complete games in his first eight career starts – five of them shutouts – and a 0.50 ERA. Immediately, Fernandomania became a fan sensation.
“He turned the game into a religion,” Jarrin once said.
Valenzuela was an All-Star selection every year from 1981-86, when he recorded 97 victories, 84 complete games, 1,258 strikeouts and a 2.97 ERA. He was 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in eight postseason starts. He earned two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove.
Valenzuela’s no-hitter on June 29, 1990, a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, was an emotional career highlight. He struck out seven and walked three.
“If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!” Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully exclaimed in his game call.
Nicknamed “El Toro” by the fans, Valenzuela had an unorthodox and memorable pitching motion that included looking skyward at the apex of each windup. His repertoire included a screwball – making him one of the few pitchers of his era who threw that pitch regularly. It was taught to him by teammate Bobby Castillo after the Dodgers felt Valenzuela, who wasn’t known as a hard thrower, needed another pitch.
Early in his Dodgers career, Valenzuela spoke little English and had trouble communicating with his catchers. Rookie Mike Scioscia learned Spanish and became Valenzuela’s personal catcher before becoming the team’s full-time catcher.
Valenzuela was a better-than-average hitter, with 10 career home runs.
Eventually, his pitching was compromised by nagging shoulder problems that kept him out of the 1988 postseason, when the Dodgers won the World Series.
The team released Valenzuela just before the 1991 season. He also pitched for the Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and Cardinals.
He retired in 1997, going 141-116 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 seasons with the Dodgers. Overall, he was 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA in 17 seasons.
He signed his first pro contract at age 16, and soon began overpowering older players in the Mexican Central League.
In 1978, legendary Dodgers scout Mike Brito was in Mexico to watch a shortstop when Valenzuela entered the game as a reliever. He immediately commanded Brito’s attention and at age 18, Valenzuela signed with the Dodgers in 1979. He was sent to the California League that same year.
In 1980, Valenzuela was called up to the Dodgers in September and soon made his big league debut as a reliever.
He remains the only pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. The left-hander was the National League’s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game in 1981, the same year the Dodgers won the World Series.
He is the all-time major league leader in wins (173) and strikeouts (2,074) by a Mexican-born player.
During his career, he made the cover of Sports Illustrated and visited the White House.
In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers as the Spanish-language radio color commentator for NL games. Twelve years later, he switched to the color commentator job on the team’s Spanish-language TV feed.
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He was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Five years later, the Mexican League retired Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey. The Dodgers followed in 2023 after keeping his number out of circulation since he last pitched for the team in 1991.
The Dodgers named Valenzuela as part of the “Legends of Dodger Baseball” in 2019 and inducted him into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2023.
He became a U.S. citizen in 2015.
Valenzuela served on the coaching staff for Mexico during the World Baseball Classic in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017. He was a part-owner of the Mexican League team Tigres de Quintana Roo, with son Fernando Jr. serving as team president and son Ricky serving as general manager. Fernando Jr. played in the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations as a first baseman.
In addition to his sons, he is survived by his wife, Linda, who was a schoolteacher from Mexico whom he married in 1981, and four children, Fernando Jr., Ricardo, Linda and Maria Fernanda, and seven grandchildren.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Fernando Valenzuela’s journey from the barren lands of northern Mexico to the heights of baseball royalty with the Dodgers made him a cultural icon, the toast of two countries and changed the demographics of the Dodger fan base forever. His sensational rookie season in 1981 started a run that made the charismatic left-hander one of the biggest stories in the sport for years to come. (Photos by The Associated Press)