Fernando Valenzuela, the icon of baseball in Mexico, dies

The team reported that Valenzuela, widely considered the greatest Mexican baseball player in history, died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital. The Dodgers did not provide the cause or other details.

His death occurs as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series on Friday night, hosting the New York Yankees, precisely the team that the Dodgers and Valenzuela defeated in 1981.

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said tributes will be paid to Valenzuela during the Fall Classic at Dodger Stadium.

Valenzuela had left his job as a commentator on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcast in September without explanation. He was reported to have been hospitalized earlier this month. His job kept him a regular presence at Dodger Stadium.

Before games, he often ate dinner in the press box and was pampered by fans, with whom he remained popular for requests for photos and autographs.

“God bless Fernando Valenzuela!” Danny Trejo, actor and Dodgers fan, posted on X.

Valenzuela was one of the most dominant players of his era and an extremely popular figure in the 1980s, although he was never elected to the Hall of Fame. However, it is part of Cooperstown, which features several relics of his, including a signed ball from his 1990 no-hitter.

“On behalf of the Dodgers organization, we are deeply saddened by the passing of Fernando,” said Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten. “He is one of the most influential Dodger players of all time…he has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a commentator.”

Valenzuela sparked passion in Major League ballparks in 1981, when he became the first and only pitcher to win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same year.

In 1981, he unexpectedly became the Dodgers’ opening day starter due to Jerry Reuss’ injury and achieved a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros, which was the beginning of a series of games in the who compiled an 8-0 record, with five shutouts and a 0.50 ERA.

His performances made him a darling among the Latin community, a delirium that spread through several venues in the Major Leagues. Nicknamed “The Bull,” Valenzuela finished his first year with a 13–7 record and a 2.48 ERA.

In Mexico, not all of their matches were televised, but a good part of Mexican fans listened to the narrations of their games through the radio.

As he gained fame, the cities came to a standstill while Mexican fans followed the “Toro” matches.

“Sixty-three years is very little… A part of my childhood is gone,” said Mario López, another actor, in X. “Growing up as a Mexican kid, one of the main reasons I’m a Dodgers fan is Fernando. He was not only a great ballplayer, but a great man for this community. What a legend!”

A talent like that of few

Valenzuela was a six-consecutive All-Star from 1981-86, a period in which he recorded 97 wins, 84 complete games, 1,258 strikeouts and a 2.97 ERA. In the postseason he went 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in eight starts.

He threw a no-hitter — on June 29, 1990 — at Dodger Stadium, leading his team to a 6-0 shutout of the Cardinals in which he struck out seven and walked three.

“If you’ve got a hat, throw it in the sky,” legendary Hall of Fame narrator Vin Scully said at that meeting.

His best season in the majors was 1986, when he went 21-11 with a 3.14 ERA, but finished second in NL Cy Young voting behind Mike Scott of the Houston Astros. That year he made 34 starts and 20 of his games were complete.

Valenzuela’s career went into decline due to shoulder problems that left him out of the 1988 postseason, when the Dodgers won the World Series.

He was released by the Dodgers before the start of the 1991 season and then pitched for the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals.

He finished his major league career with a record of 173-153 and a 3.54 earned run percentage.

Valenzuela remained active in his country’s winter baseball. His last team was the Águilas de Mexicali, of the Mexican Pacific League. He pitched until he was 44, finally retiring on December 20, 2006.

“We regret the death of a great legend of Mexican baseball, his legacy will remain forever in our league and in the hearts of our fans,” the winter circuit lamented on its social networks.

The summer league and the Major League office in Mexico joined in condolences to the former ballplayer’s family. In addition, other Mexican sports entities regretted the departure, such as the Mexican Football Federation and the National Commission of Physical Culture and Sports (CONADE).

The Mexican star had a unique throwing mechanic that included looking towards the sky before releasing the ball. His repertoire included the screwball, making him one of the few throwers of his time who used it regularly.

Early in his career he spoke little English and had trouble communicating with his catchers. Rookie Mike Scioscia learned Spanish and became his personal catcher before becoming a full-time catcher.

Valenzuela also exhibited prowess as a hitter, totaling 10 home runs in his major league career.

He was born in Etchohuaquila, a ranch in the northwestern state of Sonora, on November 1, 1960.

He was the youngest in a large family and took up baseball to accompany his brothers to play. He signed his first contract at the age of 16 and began to dominate in the Mexican Baseball League. In 1978, legendary scout Mike Brito discovered him and signed him with the Dodgers in 1979.

A year later he received his first opportunity and pitched in relief.

Valenzuela is the leader in wins (173) and strikeouts (2,074) among Mexican pitchers in the Major Leagues.

He entered the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 and five years later the Mexican League retired his number 34. The Dodgers did so in 2023, but his number has been out of circulation since 1991.

Before pitching in the Major Leagues he played with Mayos de Navojoa, Cafeteros de Tepic, Tuzos de Silao, Ángeles de Puebla and Leones de Yucatán, where he was Rookie of the Year in 1979.

Then came the draft by the Dodgers and the quick rise to fame.

With the Mexican team he was part of the coaching staff in the 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017 World Classics.

“Talking about Mexican baseball is talking about Fernando Valenzuela. Thank you for raising the name of Mexico,” wrote the National Team Committee on its official social media accounts. “We join the grief that overwhelms the Valenzuela Burgos family and Mexican baseball.”

In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers as a Spanish-language commentator for radio broadcasts. Twelve years later, he moved to television broadcasts in Spanish, to also provide his comments.

He is survived by his wife Linda Burgos and his four children, Fernando, Linda, Ricardo and María Fernanda.