Fans line up for the Dodgers victory parade on Friday. Photo: Anissa Rivera, SCNG
Amid all the hoopla over the Dodgers’ dramatic World Series win, a thread of melancholy made its way into the exultation on Friday in Downtown Los Angeles.
Thousands of fans would be there. And all the current Dodgers heroes. And scores of public officials, coaches, staff and Dodgers veterans.
Missing from the scene, however: Fernando Valenzuela.
Johnny Leon, 22, of Pomona, wore a No. 34 jersey. Photo: Anissa Rivera, SCNG
“I remember meeting Fernando when I was 8 or 9, at am Easter event at Santa Anita Park,” said Jesus Anaya of La Verne, who came to the parade with his son Lorenzo, 18. “He told me to stay in school.”
The celebratory events are being held on the 64th anniversary of the birth of legendary Dodger pitcher Valenzeula, who died Oct. 22.
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“It’s going to be emotional,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “Fernando was a friend of mine. I know he’s smiling right now and very proud of this organization. So he’s going to be missed. I’m sure it’s something that he would want to have been a part of, but it’s going to be emotional for all of us.”
“So many family members love him and I’ve seen his highlights,” said Johnny Leon, 22, of Pomona, wore a No. 34 jersey — Valenzuela’s number — to the celebration. “I wish he could be here to see this.”
Valenzuela pitched 11 seasons for the Dodgers, starting in 1980, and ranks ninth on the franchise’s all-time win list. His rookie season in 1981 sparked the ‘Fernandomania’ phenomenon as he went 8-0 with five shutouts to start the season. He became the first and only pitcher to win both the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards in the same season.
Valenzuela was an All-Star every year from 1981 through 1986 and was a member of World Series championship teams with the Dodgers in 1981 and 1988. He was released by the Dodgers in 1990 and pitched six more seasons with five more teams before retiring.
“Fernando was the big pull,” said Miguel Ramirez, 49, of Norwalk. The manufacturing supervisor took a vacation day and to attend the parade — and brought the Dodgers flag that waves outside his house during baseball season.
“Fernando brought so many Hispanics to the game. I remember watching Fernando pitch against the As on ’88, so to be here today on his birthday is special. Dodgers is family.”
Former Los Angeles Dodger Fernando Valenzuela waves to fans before throwing the first ceremonial pitch before the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (File photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
He joined the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcast team in 2003. He stepped away from the broadcast booth in September due to health problems.
An impromptu memorial to the Dodgers great grew each day outside Dodger Stadium, where a ticketed fan was scheduled to follow the victory parade Downtown.
“His smile would say it all. I know his presence was with us the whole time. He loved his Dodgers, he loved baseball,” said Angelica Arteaga, CEO of Max’s Mexican Cuisine in Monrovia, where Valenzuela frequented.
Related: Victory Day in LA: Here’s what you need to know about Friday’s Dodger parade, stadium event
Aside from quietly marking Valenzuela’s birthday on Nov. 1, Arteaga will lead a tribute to the Dodgers great on Nov. 12, at the Max’s in Monrovia. His favorite table will be renumbered “34” and a mural will be unveiled in his honor. Local mayors are set to attend to honor not only Valenzuela’s baseball legacy but also the local philanthropies he supported.
“He meant so much to the Latino community as an inspiration,” said Robert Gonzales, mayor of Azusa. “It was a privilege and honor to have met him, and to have a close tie to the Azusa community,” Gonzales said. “I’m grateful to have shared those moments.”
A box of Corn Flakes with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela is seen in an exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on July 11, 2023. (Photo by Mark Acosta, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
On Friday, Oct. 25 — 43 years (and two days) after Valenzuela gutted his way through a rough outing to beat the New York Yankees and reverse the course of the 1981 World Series, fans paid tribute to the hurler before Game 1 of the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees.
The Dodgers honored Valenzuela with video and musical tributes – the latter a rousing Spanish-language performance by Deyra Barrera and Julian Torres – before the players were introduced, and then they took the tribute up a notch.
It wouldn’t be surprising if similar tributes took place during the stadium event on Friday.
The Dodgers wore a patch on their uniforms honoring Fernando Valenzuela during the World Series.
The patch featured his uniform number 34 and his first name and will appear on the left jersey sleeve. The Dodgers will wear the patch for the 2025 season as well.
Staff writers Bill Plunkett and Todd Harmonson contributed to this report
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