Fernando Valenzuela, 1960-2024

Baseball has had many characters, many legends, and a few folk heroes. Fernando Valenzuela was all three.

Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea was born on November 1, 1960 in Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico. In 1981, the chunky, screwballing lefthander for the Los Angeles Dodgers was the hottest thing in baseball, He won his 1st 8 starts, with 5 shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. He was only 20 years old.

On May 15, 1981, I was traveling with my family to a weekend vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia. We stopped off at a rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike, and I saw the new Sports Illustrated. Fernando was on the cover, with the headline, "UNREAL!" No, the cover didn't jinx him: He was 7-0 at that point, and won his next start, before falling to 8-1. That night, in a totally unrelated development, Len Barker of the Cleveland Indians pitched the 1st major league perfect game of my lifetime.

"Fernandomania" made the Dodgers what they remain to this day: Mexico's favorite baseball team, despite the San Diego Padres playing a short drive from the border. The mania was tamed somewhat by the midseason strike, as he went just 5-7 after his amazing start. But he pitched a complete-game win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the World Series, helping to turn the Series around. The Dodgers won in Game 6; had it gone to Game 7, he would have started it.

He had his only 20-win season in 1986, and struck out a record-tying 5 straight batters in that season's All-Star Game, at the Astrodome in Houston: Don Mattingly, Cal Ripken, Jesse Barfield, Lou Whitaker, and the opposing pitcher, Teddy Higuera. Higuera, 3 years older, was frequently compared to Fernando: He was also a chunky Mexican lefthander who threw the screwball. He would go 94-64 in his career. Both men pitched 3 scoreless innings in that game, which the American League won, 3-2.

Fernando missed most of the 1988 season due to injury, but still got a 2nd World Series ring. He was released in 1991, and bounced around, signing with the Padres. In 1996, the Padres played 3 games in Monterrey, the 1st regular-season games ever played in Mexico. Fernando started the opener against the Mets, and benefited from a 15-0 lead. The Mets came back, and he left to a standing ovation. The Padres hung on to win, 15-10.

He should have retired after the season, having gone 13-8 with an ERA of 3.62, helping the Padres reach the Playoffs for the 1st time in 12 years. Instead, he hung on for 1 more year, going 2-12. His career record finished at 173-153. A member of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame and the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, the Dodgers retired his Number 34 in 2023.

He became a broadcaster for the Dodgers' Spanish network, bringing up memories of his struggles to learn English. It was said in 1981 that, "The two best lefthanded pitchers don't speak English: Fernando Valenzuela and Steve Carlton." (Referencing Carlton's refusal to talk to the media.) Manager Tommy Lasorda said the only English words he knows are "beer," "food" and "light beer." On The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson said, "Fernando Valenzuela learned another English word today: 'Million.'"

In 1981, Fernando married Linda Burgos, a schoolteacher from Mexico. The couple had 4 children, including Fernando, Jr., who played in the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations as a 1st baseman.

In 2023, Fernando stepped aside from his broadcasting duties, due to ill health. He died yesterday, October 22, 2024, at the age of 63.

Generally, the Dodgers don't officially retire uniform numbers unless the player is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. They have made 2 exceptions: Fernando and Jim "Junior" Gilliam. Gilliam succeeded Jackie Robinson as their 2nd baseman in Brooklyn, played on 4 World Series winners, in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles, and in 1965, while still playing, was named only the 2nd black coach in the major leagues, after Buck O'Neill with the 1962 Chicago Cubs.

Gilliam died 1978, like Fernando between the National League Championship Series and the World Series. The Dodgers dedicated the World Series to Gilliam's memory, and wore Number 19 patches on their sleeves. It is likely that the Dodgers will now do the same for Fernando Valenzuela.