Lest We Forget: Fernando Valenzuela

Fernandomania.

One of the greatest characters of late 20th century game passed away October 22 at the age of 63.

The chunky lefty made his debut for the Dodgers as a September call-up in 1980, winning two decisions. The following year, he won his first eight games, five by shutouts, en route to a magical albeit it strike-shortened season — 13-7, with a 2.48 ERA and leading the league in innings, complete games and strikeouts — that earned him the Cy Young Award as well as Rookie of the Year and the first of six All-Star selections. For good measure, he also won a Silver Slugger Award.

People forget that his entire career wasn’t spent in LA. After 11 campaigns with the Dodgers, Valenzuela played for the Angels, Cardinals, Orioles, Padres, and Phillies, finishing with a record of 173-153. After his playing days were over, he returned to the Dodgers as an announcer.

From MLB.com:

Decades after “Fernandomania” drew generations of families to Chavez Ravine in 1981, Valenzuela remained a symbol of hope and of the American dream. His rise in the early 1980s came as Latinos and Mexican-Americans struggled to find a sense of belonging amid continuing debates over the site of Dodger Stadium and immigration reform.

He was lucky to have a more substantial showing than another “folk hero” figure in Mark Fidrych and was immortalized even more, if such a thing is possible, thanks to Bull Durham.

Here’s his obituary from The New York Times by Richard Sandomir and the Los Angeles Times by Ed Guzman. Given Valenzuela’s stature, additional obits appeared in such diverse outlets as the CBC, Men’s Journal, the Washington Post, and The Nation, among many others.

Surprisingly, I could find no books specifically about Valenzuela, but books highlighting his breakthrough season (as opposed to general histories about the Dodgers) include