Devoted fans of Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, who died Tuesday night, Oct. 22, flocked to Dodger Stadium to honor the Mexican pitcher who remains popular more than 40 years after he first took the mound.
They left flowers, Dodgers caps and jerseys, candles, photos and flags at a makeshift memorial at the stadium’s entrance at Vin Scully Avenue. The growing public tribute, which began shortly after the announcement of his death, saluted the player-turned-broadcaster who many say bolstered the team’s Latino fan base.
Valenzuela, 63, had been hospitalized for the past few weeks with health problems that his family has kept private.
Whittier resident Rey Casillas rode in on his motorcycle to visit the memorial Wednesday, Oct. 23 — wearing a blue Valenzuela jersey. Casillas heard the news from his 12-year-old granddaughter, and brought a cap to pay his respects.
“It was tough,” the 58-year-old said. “You’d heard a lot of rumors over the last two, three weeks. Fernando wasn’t just a baseball player, he kind of took the culture back in ’81, when he came on and just united a whole bunch of people, and they were friends, specifically here in the Dodger Stadium/Chavez Ravine area.”
“I was 15 at the time, and I would go to Mexico because my parents and my grandparents are from there, and you could see people glued to their transistor radio if they didn’t have a TV.”
Casillas added: “Fernando is just somebody who comes across once in a lifetime.”
“Him — and obviously right now, Shohei Ohtani — bring in a whole other huge fan base. We’ve been very lucky here in L.A. to really have next-level people as players.”
Casillas said that Los Angeles residents should “be proud” about the way Valenzuela impacted the world of baseball, “proud of who he was and how he represented the Dodgers.”
Valenzuela was born in Navajoa, Mexico, as the youngest of 12 children. Baseball scout Mike Brito discovered him in 1978 and the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Valenzuela in 1979. He first pitched in the big leagues the next year.
Valenzuela’s 1981 season ignited the “Fernandomania” craze, when his pitching excellence drove interest in the Dodgers among the region’s Mexican-American residents.
On Wednesday, some Latinos — many of whom remember the “Fernandomania” — hung sombreros and serape stoles on the “Welcome to Dodger Stadium” sign. One fan left a framed photo of himself and Valenzuela. Others left Dodgers memorabilia and lit candles.
As more fans trickled throughout the day to take selfies and pay their respects, even a mariachi band — the Mariachi Garibaldi de Jamie Cuellar, wearing an appropriate Navy blue — visited the growing memorial.
Related links
Dodgers star Fernando Valenzuela, who sparked ‘Fernandomania’, dies at 63
Photos: Looking back at Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela’s jersey retirement
Alexander: Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela passes away, but Fernandomania will never die
Alexander: Dodgers honor Fernando Valenzuela, and it’s about time
Fernando Valenzuela leaves Dodgers’ broadcasts for health reasons
Column: A lost baseball glove, Fernando Valenzuela and a new love for what he means for LA
Los Angeles resident Jacqueline Perez dropped off a small flower arrangement adorned with baseballs and a picture of her husband, Jesus Alvarez, with Valenzuela.
She said she was doing so out of “respect, love and pride” as a fan and an Angeleno, and called the baseball great “a hero for everything that he accomplished.”
Perez, 47, added: “Even through he was getting older, it’s still something so sudden and sad. A great man, a legend has left us.”
“Fernando was a symbol of pride for us as Latinos and Angelenos. I’m feeling really emotional today because my father, who already passed away some time ago, was a very big fan.”
She remembered Valenzuela visiting her elementary school.
“He would always introduce himself and was always polite.”