Fernando Valenzuela, the legendary pitcher whose incredible rise to stardom with the Los Angeles Dodgers captivated baseball fans and created the cultural phenomenon known as “Fernandomania,” died on Thursday, according to the Dodgers. Valenzuela was 63.
Prior to the Dodgers’ postseason run in 2024, the team announced Valenzuela would step away from his usual radio broadcast duties for the rest of the season “to focus on his health.” “He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” president and CEO of the club Stan Kasten said in a statement. MLB commissioner Robert Manfred, Jr. called Valenzuela “one of the most impactful players of his generation.
The Dodgers would win the game 2-0 in front of a sold-out crowd of 50,511 at Dodger Stadium. The previously unknown rookie pitcher became a phenomenon as he followed his Opening Day performance with seven wins over his next seven starts in dominant fashion. ‘El Toro’ finished his rookie year with a 13-7 record and a 2.48 ERA in the strike-shortened season, which he capped by hurling a complete game in a Dodgers’ World Series victory against the New York Yankees in 1981.
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