The Los Angeles Dodgers announced the passing of one of their franchise legends, Fernando Valenzuela, four days before the team will begin play against the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Valenzuela, who united the city’s Mexican-American community with his heroics on the mound, was 63. No cause of death was immediately announced.
A native of Navojoa, Mexico, Valenzuela became a franchise legend as the Dodgers marched to the 1981 World Series. That year, he became the first player in MLB history to be named Rookie of the Year and win a Cy Young Award in the same season.
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After 11 seasons (1980-90) electrifying the fan base in Los Angeles, Valenzuela went on to pitch for the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals from 1991-97. He continued to pitch in his native Mexico for the better part of the next decade.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 10: (L-R) Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Sandy Koufax look on from the dugout before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Valenzuela died at age 63, the Dodgers announced.
Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Over 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, Valenzuela went 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA. Although he never equaled his success as a rookie, Valenzuela made six All-Star teams with the Dodgers and collected a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award along the way.
The Dodgers broke their longstanding franchise policy of retiring only the numbers of Hall of Famers by formally retiring Valenzuela’s number 34 in Aug. 2023. Although no player had worn the number since Valenzuela’s final game in a Dodgers uniform, they had not broken the policy for any retired player since Jim Gilliam died tragically in 1978 while he was still an active member of the team’s coaching staff.
A member of the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum, and the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame, Valenzuela had been appearing on Dodgers Spanish-language broadcasts for the last 22 years.
On Oct. 2, the team announced Valenzuela was stepping away from his broadcast duties to focus on his health.
Valenzuela continued to endear himself to Angelenos young and old by remaining a visible presence at Dodger Stadium and in the community.
Last year, in celebration of Mexican American Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium, he helped Dodger players and staff package and distribute food for more than 400 predominately Mexican American families facing food insecurity in East Los Angeles.
Jaime Jarrin, the Dodgers’ Spanish play-by-play broadcaster who also served as Valenzuela’s interpreter amid his historic 1981 season, called Valenzuela’s death “a crushing blow” in an interview with Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group.
“He meant so much to me,” Jarrin said, via Plunkett.
Reached out to Jaime Jarrin about the passing of Fernando. He called it “a crushing blow” even though Fernando’s health problems forced him to prepare for this. “He meant so much to me.”
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 23, 2024
“On behalf of the Dodger organization, we profoundly mourn the passing of Fernando,” Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement. “He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes. He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster. He has left us all too soon. Our deepest condolences go out to his wife Linda and his family.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
