What is the Life and Career of Former Major League Baseball Superstar Fernando Valenzuela?

(CNN) – Legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who captivated baseball fans with the Los Angeles Dodgers and created a cultural phenomenon known as “Fernandomania,” has died at the age of 63, his team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have announced.

Ahead of the Dodgers’ 2024 postseason run, the team announced that Valenzuela “will step away from the Dodgers broadcast booth to focus on his health for the rest of the year.”

Throughout his 17-year MLB career, Valenzuela was a six-time All-Star, finishing his career with 173 regular-season hits and more than 2,000 strikeouts. Valenzuela played 11 seasons with the Dodgers, but also played with the California Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres.

The youngest of 12 childrenValenzuela came from the small Mexican town of Etchohuaquila in the state of Sonora and became one of the most popular figures in Major League Baseball. He had long, thick hair and was slightly chubby, but his iconic throwing motion, composed demeanor and commanding performances captivated the Latino community and the world alike.

With 24 hours’ notice, Valenzuela was thrust into stardom in 1981 when Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorta named him the opening day starter due to last-minute injuries to the team’s top two starters.

After lavishly turning to Cy Young Award winners like Dan Newcomb, Dan Drysdale and Sandy Koufax to open the season in previous years, the Dodgers front office couldn’t have imagined. By comparison, Valenzuela had pitched a total of 17 relief innings in the majors, albeit with no runs allowed, and his resume was similar to that of an Opening Day starter.

If that wasn’t enough pressure, Valenzuela made his debut against the current National League Western Division champions, the Houston Astros, the Dodgers were kicked out of a game in the playoffs earlier in the season. None of that mattered to the 5’11, 180-pound left-hander, as he efficiently retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced, finishing a complete game with five hits and no runs. Baseball Almanac, 2-0 victory in front of 50,511 at Dodger Stadium.

The previously unknown rookie pitcher became an overnight sensation as he followed up his opening day performance with seven hits in his next seven starts in dominant fashion. ‘El Toro’ went nine innings in seven of his first eight career starts, five of them scoreless, and finished with an earned run average (ERA) below 0.50 over that span.

Valenzuela finished his strikeout-shortened rookie season with a 13-7 record and 2.48 ERA, including a complete game in a World Series victory over the New York Yankees. He became the only player in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award and the Rookie of the Year Award in the same year.

However, the Mexican-born pitcher’s popularity went beyond the mound, becoming a cultural phenomenon that served as a role model for the Latino community in the United States.

Legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully described watching Valenzuela play as a “religious experience,” and for many, that was exactly the case. Ceremonially, fans lined up in droves to watch the rugged kid from Sonora take the mound; Attended Dodger Stadium and wore his own version of Valenzuela’s gear. Mariachi music played in the stadium, and the Dodgers hired more Spanish speakers to accommodate the influx of new Hispanic fans.

Media organizations filled the Dodgers’ locker room and overflowed the press conference rooms. The number of Mexican radio stations broadcasting Dodger games has increased from three to 17 American Baseball Research AssociationAt the height of Fernandomania, Spanish-language broadcasts had twice Scully’s audience.

Valenzuela made six consecutive All-Star Games following his rookie year, finished in the top five in Cy Young Award voting three times, while winning two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove in 1986. The screwball pitcher finished with a record 21 wins, including 20 complete games.

In 1991, Valenzuela was unexpectedly fired by the Dodgers during spring training. He would pitch for five more teams over the next seven years before retiring in 1997.

Following his playing career, Valenzuela began calling games for the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcasts in 2003 with his former interpreter, Jaime Zarin, who retired after the 2022 season.

Valenzuela’s number 34 was retired by the Dodgers in 2023, breaking the franchise’s tradition of only retiring the number of Hall of Famers. He is survived by his wife Linda and four children.