Fernando Valenzuela passed away at 63 years old, exemplifying the L.A. American Dream as a hero to millions and valuable member of the community. El Toro will forever be remembered for his impact on L.A. both on and off the field. Let’s get into it.
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00:00What is up? This is your LA in a Minute and some terribly sad news here in Los Angeles
00:04as Fernando Valenzuela has passed away at 63 years old. Not only was El Toro one of
00:09the best pitchers in Dodger history, but he literally changed the organization and fired
00:14up its fan base, inspiring generations of people here in Los Angeles and beyond as a
00:19true LA American Dream story. Let's get into it.
00:22The Fernando Valenzuela story begins in 1960 when Fernando Valenzuela Anguameya, who was
00:28the youngest of 12 children, was born in Echihuahquila, a small town in the municipality
00:32of Navajoa in the state of Sonora, Mexico, to farm worker parents who were part of the
00:37indigenous group called Yoreme.
00:40Fernando grew up playing baseball and he began his professional career in 1977 when he signed
00:44with the Mayos de Navajoa. A year later, after pitching well, Fernando was sent to the Guanajuato
00:50Tuzos of the Mexican Central League, which was absorbed into the Mexican League, which
00:54meant that he was pitching at a triple-A level at only 18 years old.
00:58It was later that year when the Dodgers sent a scout named Mike Brito down to the Mexican
01:03League to scout a shortstop named Ali Uscanga. Valenzuela fell behind 3-0 to Uscanga, but
01:09then threw three straight strikes to strike him out. It was at this point that Brito said
01:13he forgot all about the shortstop and started focusing on Fernando.
01:17The Dodgers took Brito's word and gambled on Valenzuela, acquiring his contract from
01:21La Liga in July of 1979 for $120,000. Valenzuela did well in limited minor league action, but
01:28the Dodgers felt he needed to learn another new pitch to be successful as a big leaguer.
01:33That's when the Dodgers had crafty right-hander Bobby Castillo teach Fernando a new pitch,
01:37the screwball. Fernando gave fans a taste of what was going to come in 1980 as he was
01:42called up to the big leagues late in the season and had two wins and a save.
01:46But it was the following season where Fernando Valenzuela became El Toro, the Bull, and Fernando
01:51Mania took hold. He was the opening day starter because the scheduled starter Jerry Royce
01:55was injured 24 hours prior to his scheduled start. He went on to shut out the Astros and
02:01he continued to dominate, starting the season with an 8-0 record, including 5 shutouts and
02:06a 0.50 ERA. Wow.
02:09In addition to Fernando's outstanding performance, he had a unique motion and delivery where
02:13he would literally look up in the sky while he was delivering a pitch. And that drew attention
02:18on its own and built the foundation for Fernando Mania.
02:22The Dodgers sold out games and for the first time in generations, Latino fans were flocking
02:27to Dodger Stadium to see the Mexico-raised icon. His rookie cards catapulted the baseball
02:33card industry as they were in demand coast to coast as Fernando Mania was selling out
02:39stadiums wherever the Dodgers went.
02:41Fernando won Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young Award, and most importantly, the Dodgers won
02:45the World Series. The chunky kid from Sinaloa had led the Los Angeles baseball team to their
02:51first World Series win in almost two decades.
02:54Fernando's impact on the Dodgers and Los Angeles can't be overstated. He continued to perform
02:59and the fans in Los Angeles continued to embrace Fernando. This was two decades after relations
03:04soured between the Latino fan base and the organization because of the violent displacement
03:09of people in the communities of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop.
03:13Fernando just kept right on throwing that screwball. Before the 1986 season, he signed
03:17the highest paid contract for any pitcher in baseball history.
03:21It's worth noting Fernando was a great hitter also, winning two Silver Slugger Awards.
03:26Injuries slowed Fernando, but he had one great moment left in that bag of tricks when he
03:30pitched a no-hitter against the Cardinals on June 29, 1990.
03:35After Fernando's career wound down, in 2003 he returned to the Dodger organization as
03:39a Spanish-language radio color commentary with Jaime Jarin and Pepe Yniguez.
03:45He's also been a coach of the Mexico national team for well over a decade.
03:48And Fernando made the round trip fully complete in 2017 when he purchased the Mexican league
03:53team Tigres de Quintana Roo.
03:56Fernando Valenzuela will forever be one of the most impactful figures in Dodger history,
04:00not just as a great pitcher, but as a symbol of Los Angeles and a true L.A. American Dream
04:05story.
04:06Rest in peace Fernando, and in the words of Vince Scully, if you have a sombrero, throw
04:11it to the sky.
04:12Alright L.A., it's been a minute.