Fernando Valenzuela

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Lore & Background

Valenzuela enjoyed his breakout year in 1981, when "Fernandomania" rapidly catapulted him from relative obscurity to stardom. He won his first eight starts, five of them shutouts, and finished with a win–loss record of 13–7 and had a 2.48 earned run average (ERA) in a season that was shortened by a player's strike. He became the first, and as of 2024, only player to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. The Dodgers won the World Series that year. Valenzuela peaked from 1981 to 1986, when he was named a National League (NL) All-Star in each season. He won an NL-leading 21 games in 1986, when he was a runner-up to Mike Scott of the Houston Astros for the Cy Young Award. Valenzuela was also one of the better hitting pitchers of his era. He had ten career home runs and was occasionally used by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda as a pinch-hitter. In 1986, he signed the then-largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history ($5.5 million/3 years). However, nagging shoulder problems diminished the remainder of his Dodgers career. He was on the Dodgers' 1988 World Series championship team, but sat out the postseason with a shoulder injury. Valenzuela threw a no-hitter in 1990 before the Dodgers released him prior to the 1991 season. He spent the rest of his major league career with the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals, before pitching a couple of seasons in Mexico in his 40s. Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers organization after retiring, serving as a broadcaster from 2003 to 2024, the year of his death. The Dodgers retired his No. 34 in 2023. His career highlights include a record of 173–153, with an ERA of 3.54. His 41.5 career wins above replacement (according to Baseball Reference) is the highest of any Mexican-born MLB player.

In Their Own Story

The phenomenon known as "Fernandomania" erupted after Valenzuela began the 1981 season 8–0 with seven complete games and five shutouts, posting an ERA of 0.50. His flamboyant motion, which included glancing skyward at the apex of his windup, captivated fans while his screwball—a pitch rarely used in the modern era—defeated batters. Large crowds from Los Angeles' Latino community flocked to every start, driving Spanish radio ratings on KTNQ from 3.4 to 8.6. The stadium PA system played ABBA's "Fernando" during his warm-ups, and his rookie cards from Topps and Fleer were in high demand. Despite the player strike wiping out the middle third of the season, he led the majors with eight shutouts and 180 strikeouts while batting .250, earning him the first Silver Slugger Award by a Dodgers pitcher. His success turned him into an instant media icon who bridged cultures through the game.

Reader's Guide

Valenzuela was born on November 1, 1960, in Etchohuaquila, a small town within the municipality of Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico. He was the youngest of 12 children. His parents, Avelino and María, were poor farmers who worked the land with the help of their children and were of Mayo indigenous ancestry. In 1977, Valenzuela began his professional baseball career, signing with the Mayos de Navojoa of the Mexican Pacific League. A year later, he was sent to the Guanajuato Tuzos of the Mexican Central League, posting a 5–6 win–loss record with a 2.23 ERA. The following year, the Mexican Central League was absorbed into the expanded Mexican League, automatically elevating then 18-year-old Valenzuela to the Triple-A level. Pitching for the Leones de Yucatán that year, Valenzuela went 10–12 with a 2.49 ERA and 141 strikeouts. The Los Angeles Dodgers bought out Valenzuela's Liga contract on July 6, 1979, for $120,000. After acquiring Valenzuela in the summer of 1979, the Dodgers assigned him to the Lodi Dodgers of the High-A California League, where he posted a 1–2 record and a 1.13 ERA in limited action. The Dodgers had their pitcher Bobby Castillo teach him to throw the screwball before the 1980 season. In 1980 Valenzuela was promoted to the Double-A San Antonio Dodgers, where he led the Texas League with 162 strikeouts and finished the season with a 13–9 win-loss record and a 3.10 ERA. Valenzuela was called up to the major leagues in September 1980, serving as a reliever in the last month of the season. He earned two wins and a save. Following his successful stint as a reliever in 1980, Valenzuela transitioned to a full-time starter role in his 1981 rookie season. He was unexpectedly named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter as a rookie after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start, and Burt Hooton was not ready to fill in. He shut out the Houston Astros 2–0. He was the first rookie to start Opening Day for the Dodgers. Valenzuela enjoyed one of the hottest starts to a career in MLB history. He began the season 8–0 with seven complete games, five shutouts, and an ERA of 0.50. The craze surrounding Valenzuela came to be known as "Fernandomania". He became the first player to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the Cy Young Award in the same season, and finished fifth in NL MVP voting. He was also the first rookie to lead the NL in strikeouts. The Dodg

Did You Know?

• Valenzuela was the first, and as of 2024, only player to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.
• He threw a no-hitter in 1990.
• His 41.5 career wins above replacement is the highest of any Mexican-born MLB player.
• The Dodgers retired his No. 34 in 2023.