RIP Fernando Valenzuela

Collage of photos dated June 28, 1984. Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela on the mound. Photo credits: James Ruebsamen, Herald Examiner Collection

Just three days before the Dodgers start play in the World Series against the Yankees on Friday, we found out that one of the most beloved of all Dodgers players, Fernando Valenzuela, passed away at the age of 63.

Valenzuela, called El Toro or El Zurdo by many fans, was not just a fantastic pitcher but also part of a major cultural shift in the Los Angeles sports scene. After he started the 1981 season with an Opening Day shutout of the Houston Astros, Fernando pitched eight straight complete games, five of them shutouts. Dodger Stadium was packed to see the team's first-ever Mexican-born star. It became a phenomenon dubbed "Fernandomania."

The 1981 season was interrupted by a players' strike, leaving Valenzuela with a 13-7 record and a 2.48 ERA. He led the league in strikeouts with 180 and won the Cy Young Award and the Rookie of the Year, as well as starting the All-Star game for the National League. The season ended with the Dodgers winning the World Series against the Yankees, with Fernando winning his only start, a gutsy 5-4 decision in Game 4.

Valenzuela was just 20 years old in the 1981 season. He did not speak English in postgame interviews, which somewhat added to the mystique of a pitcher who seemingly came out of nowhere. ("Nowhere" was actually the town he grew up in, Etchohuaquila, in the Mexican state of Sonora.)

Fernando made the All-Star team every year from 1981 through 1986, but, like many pitchers, he started to break down from overuse. His 1987 season was subpar, and he missed most of the Dodgers World Series-winning 1988 season. His last big night as a Dodger came on June 29, 1990, when he threw a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium against St. Louis.

Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers for spring training in 1991, but the team waived him before the regular season started. He signed with the Angels but could only get in two games before he was released. Fernando rested and reinvented his pitching style, pitching in Mexico in 1992, before returning to the major leagues for five more seasons pitching in Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Diego, and St. Louis.

In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers, working in the Spanish language radio team alongside Jamie Jarrin, who once served as his translator in his early days in the big leagues. In 2023, the Dodgers retired his number, 34.

Dodger's Fernando Valenzuela, [1981]. Photo credit: Rob Brown, Herald Examiner Collection

Fernando at Dodger workout, [1981]. Photo credit: Rob Brown, Herald Examiner Collection

Fernando Valenzuela calmly awaits in the Dodger dugout, [1983]. Photo credit: Ken Papaleo, Herald Examiner Collection

Millionaires Reginald Martinez Jackson and Fernando Valenzuela get together before the game, [1984]. Photo credit: James Ruebsamen, Herald Examiner Collection

Sitting atop a parade float, Fernando Valenzuela grins and waves to the crowd which lines Whittier Boulevard during the East Los Angeles parade, [1981]. Photo credit: Paul Chinn, Herald Examiner Collection

'Fabulous Fernando' pennants were just one of the many souvenirs on sale outside Dodger Stadium, [1981]. Photo credit: Rob Brown, Herald Examiner Collection

Fernando Valenzuela,

Dodgers

Why support the Library?

The Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest most diverse population of any library in the United States.

Through its Central Library and 72 branches, the Los Angeles Public Library provides free and easy access to information, ideas, books and technology that enrich, educate and empower every individual in our city's diverse communities.

With more people than ever before using the library—a record 17 million last year alone—your support helps the Library provide people with the resources they need to succeed and thrive.

How to support the Library

You can support the Los Angeles Public Library in several ways:

Join a “Friends” group. There is a “Friends of the Library” group for most branch libraries and departments of the Central Library. Friends groups raise money for improvements to their library through memberships, used book sales and other activities. For more information click here or talk to your local librarian.

Join the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. The Library Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises funds for Library enhancement programs such as adult and early literacy, children and teen reading clubs, technology, and cultural programs. Foundation members receive a variety of benefits with their membership. For more information, see http://www.lfla.org.

Make a donation by check to the Los Angeles Public Library and send it to:
Support the Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles CA 90071 or call (213) 228-7272.

Los Angeles Public Library

RIP Fernando Valenzuela

Interview With an Author: Emily C. Hughes

Entrevista con el periodista y escritor mexicano José Gil Olmos

Interview With Cartoonist and Illustrator Medar de la Cruz

Interview With an Author: Tim Major

Online Learning With Your Library’s e-Resources