Fernando Valenzuela, a former Mexican star pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” en route to winning the National League Cy Young Award and the 1981 Most Outstanding Rookie Player award, has died at age 63 years old.
The Californian team said he died Tuesday evening in a Los Angeles hospital, without specifying the cause of death.
His death comes as the Dodgers prepare to face the New York Yankees in the World Series, starting Friday night. Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela’s memory would be honored during the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Valenzuela left his job as Spanish-language announcer for Dodgers games in September, without providing an explanation. He was reportedly hospitalized earlier this month. His position allowed him to frequent Dodger Stadium, where members of the media regularly gathered in the main lounge to listen to his anecdotes. Additionally, he was still very popular with fans, who often asked him for a photo or autograph.
Valenzuela was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era and was very popular during the 1980s, although he was never elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is nevertheless present in Cooperstown, since many objects bearing his signature, including a ball from his no-hit game in 1990, are there.
Expos fans will best remember the role he played in eliminating Montreal in the 1981 National League championship series. Valenzuela gave up one run in eight and two-thirds innings of work in the deciding game, which ended 2-1 in favor of the Dodgers at Olympic Stadium.
This day, which saw Rick Monday destroy the Expos’ hopes of reaching their first World Series, moreover on a Monday, was baptized “Blue Monday” by the team’s fans.
