Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired "Fernandomania" while winning the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in 1981, has died. He was 63, reports the AP. The team said he died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital but didn't provide the cause or details. Valenzuela had left his color commentator job on the Dodgers' Spanish-language television broadcast in September without explanation. He was reported to have been hospitalized earlier this month. His job kept him as a regular at Dodger Stadium, where he held court in the press box dining room before games. His death comes as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series on Friday night at home against the New York Yankees. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela would be honored during the series at Dodger Stadium.
Valenzuela was one of the most dominant players of his era and a wildly popular figure in the 1980s, although he was never elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, he's part of Cooperstown, which features several artifacts, including a signed ball from his no-hitter in 1990. "He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes," said Stan Kasten, team president. Valenzuela's rise from humble beginnings in Mexico made him hugely popular in Los Angeles' Latino community while helping attract new fans. "A piece of my childhood is gone," Access Hollywood co-host Mario Lopez posted on X. "Growing up as a Mexican kid one of the main reasons I'm a Dodgers fan is because of Fernando. ... Not only a great player, but a great man to the community."
In 1981, Valenzuela became the first player to win Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. His performances created the delirium known as "Fernandomania" among Dodgers fans. The ABBA hit "Fernando" would play as he warmed up on the mound. He was an All-Star selection every year from 1981 to 1986, when he recorded 97 victories, 84 complete games, 1,258 strikeouts, and a 2.97 ERA. He was 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in eight postseason starts. He earned two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove. He became a US citizen in 2015. He's survived by his wife, Linda, who was a schoolteacher from Mexico whom he married in 1981, four children, and seven grandchildren. (More obituary stories.)
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