Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela died on Tuesday, the team announced. He was 63 years old. Valenzuela’s electric rookie year in 1981 put him at the center of the sports universe, a period remembered to this day as “Fernandomania” in LA and beyond. No cause of death has been announced.
The Los Angeles Dodgers mourn the passing of legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela. pic.twitter.com/MXeBlDzDWJ
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 23, 2024
Dodgers Legend Fernando Valenzuela Has Died at 63
The southpaw burst onto the scene at age 20 in 1981 with one of the most memorable debut seasons in MLB history. After a 10-game cup of coffee as a reliever the previous year, Valenzuela made the most of his first full campaign. Through his first eight starts in 1981, he sported a record of 8-0 with an ERA of 0.50. He finished the season with 25 starts, a 13-7 record, a 2.48 ERA, 11 complete games (eight shutouts), and 180 strikeouts in 192 1/3 innings pitched. These totals won Valenzuela both National League Rookie of the Year and the NL Cy Young Award. He also finished fifth in MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger Award for good measure.
In addition, his Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in that year’s World Series. Valenzuela was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of that series. The two teams are squaring off in the Fall Classic this year for the first time since then.
Valenzuela’s rookie year also marked the first of six consecutive All-Star nods. The following season, he finished third in Cy Young voting thanks to a similarly strong campaign, and in 1986, he was the runner-up for the award. That year, he led the NL with 21 wins, and all of MLB with 20 complete games. After his tenure with the Dodgers ended following the 1990 season, Valenzuela made five more major league stops. From 1991 until his retirement after the 1997 season, he played for the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Career Accolades
For his career, Valenzuela finished with a record of 173-153, a 3.54 ERA, a 1.320 WHIP, and 2,074 strikeouts in 2,930 innings. His win and strikeout totals are both MLB records for a Mexican-born pitcher. The Dodgers kept his number 34 out of circulation before officially retiring it last year. Valenzuela had spent the last 22 seasons as a Spanish-language broadcaster for the Dodgers.
Photo Credit: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
