The baseball world mourns Fernando Valenzuela, the legendary pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The most famous Mexican to wear the blue and white shirt in the 80s, still beloved in the city of angels, he died at the age of 63. The death was confirmed by the teamwho will begin the challenge with the New York Yankees to win the championship on Friday: it is the first time that the two teams have faced each other in the final since 1981. Then it was Valenzuela, just twenty years old, who led the Dodgers to victory with an electrifying comeback, after losing the first two games. ‘Fernandomania’ broke out in the stands and streets of the Californian metropolis, forever bringing the Latin community closer to the sport most loved by Americans. The former athlete – nicknamed ‘El Toro de Etchohuaquila’, from the name of the small town in the state of Sonora where he came from – he was being treated for an illness that the family chose not to make public. At the end of September, he left the booth from which he commented in Spanish on Dodgers games inside the stadium where he lifted the trophy 43 years ago. “He was one of the most influential players in baseball and is one of the heroes of this jersey,” said Stan Kasten, president and CEO of the Dodgers. Health problems prevented him from following the team during this year’s playoffs and took him away a few days before the start of the finals
