Pitcher Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela has passed away at 63-years-old.
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball seasons, from 1980 to 1991 and 1993 to 1997. While he played for six MLB teams, his longest tenure was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Valenzuela batted and threw left-handed.
Valenzuela was born in Navojoa, Mexico, to two farmers and excelled in the Mexican League before the Dodgers bought his contract in 1979. Across 17 MLB seasons, he registered a 173–153 record with a 3.54 ERA and 2,074 strikeouts. Along with the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young nods, the lefthander was named an All-Star in six straight seasons from 1981 to ’86, won two Silver Sluggers in ‘81 and ’83, earned a Gold Glove in ‘86 and received MVP votes four times.
Valenzuela retired from baseball after spending the 1997 season with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. He also pitched for the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies. Valenzuela was on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2003 and ‘04, but didn’t receive enough votes to stay among the nominees past his second year of eligibility.
Valenzuela’s success early in his career quickly made him a fan favorite among the Los Angeles faithful, as “Fernandomania” spread across the city containing a large community of Mexican immigrants. Valenzuela’s No. 34 was retired by the Dodgers in 2023.
