Fernando Valenzuela
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (b. November 1, 1960) was a star left-handed pitcher for six different teams during his Major League Baseball career, most notably the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he pitched for eleven seasons, from 1980 to 1990. Thanks in part to his Mexican heritage, his "Ruthian physique,"[1][2] and a devastating screwball that helped him win his first eight straight decisions in 1981, Valenzuela touched off an early 80s craze dubbed "Fernandomania."[3] That year, Valenzuela became only player in Major League history to win both the Rookie of The Year award and the Cy Young Award in the same season.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Valenzuela, the youngest of twelve children, was born in Etchohuaquila, a small town within the municipality of Navojoa, in the state of Sonora, Mexico.[4] His birth date is officially listed as November 1, 1960, but during his phenomenal rookie season in 1981 some observers questioned his age, guessing him to be significantly older than twenty. [5]
[edit] Playing career
In 1978, 17-year-old Fernando Valenzuela began his professional baseball career with the Guanajuato Tuzos of the Mexican Center League, posting a 5-6 record with a 2.23 ERA. The following year, the Mexican Central League was absorbed into the expanded Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (Mexican Baseball League), automatically elevating then 18-year-old Valenzuela to the AAA level. Pitching for the Leones de Yucatán (Yucatan Lions) that year, Valenzuela went 10-12 with a 2.49 ERA and 141 strikeouts.[6] A number of Major League teams scouted Valenzuela during this time, but it was the Los Angeles Dodgers who finally gambled on the young lefty, buying out his Liga contract on July 6, 1979 for $120,000.[7]
[edit] Los Angeles Dodgers
After acquiring Fernando Valenzuela in the summer of 1979, the Dodgers assigned him to the Lodi Dodgers (now the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes) of the High-A level California League, where he posted a 1-2 record and a 1.13 ERA in limited action.[8] In 1980 Valenzuela was promoted to the AA level San Antonio Missions. There Valenzuela led the Texas League with 162 strikeouts, and ranked third in ERA.[9]
Valenzuela was called up to the Los Angeles Dodger bullpen in September of 1980. In the last month of the season, Valenzuela helped the Dodgers to a Western Division tie with the Houston Astros, tossing 17 2/3 shutout innings of relief over the course of ten games, during which he earned two wins and a save.[10] The Los Angeles Dodgers then lost a one-game playoff - and thus the division championship - to the Astros.
[edit] Fernandomania
His efforts made him the odds-on favorite to be the league's top rookie in 1981, and he didn't disappoint, starting the season 8-0 with four shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. He became an instant media icon, drawing a huge crowd from the Los Angeles Hispanic community every time he was scheduled to pitch, and triggered a mad race to acquire his rookie baseball cards. The craze surrounding Valenzuela came to be known as "Fernandomania."
After the 1981 player strike wiped out a third of the season, Valenzuela cooled down a bit but still finished with a 13-7 record, a 2.48 ERA and a league-leading 180 strikeouts. He ended the season as the only pitcher to win Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award honors in the same year. In the post-season, Valenzuela pitched a complete game in Game 3 of the 1981 World Series against the New York Yankees, helping the Dodgers to their first World Championship since 1965.
Valenzuela had three trademarks which followed him in his great seasons. One was his physique — like some other pitchers of his time such as Sid Fernandez and Rick Reuschel, he was slightly overweight. His round, bespectacled face was instantly recognizable. He was also known for a devastating screwball, which right-handed hitters flailed away at ineffectually. And last but not least, in an era of poor hitting pitchers, he had seasons where he hit better than some Dodgers regulars.
One of the more amazing stats was Valenzuela's utter dominance against the much hated San Franciso Giants. He was an unbelievable 33-2 with a 1.15 E.R.A. He pitched 10 one hitters against the Giants. Roger Craig once a Giant manager said watching Fernando pitch was like listening to a musical composition of Bach or Brian Wilson.
[edit] El Toro
Following the outstanding debut, Valenzuela, nicknamed "El Toro" by fans, settled down into a number of years as a workhorse starter and one of the league's best pitchers. He had his best season in 1986, when he finished 21-11 with a 3.14 ERA and led the league in wins, complete games and innings pitched. He lost a narrow vote for the Cy Young Award to the Astros' Mike Scott.
At the 1986 All-Star Game, Valenzuela made history by striking out five consecutive American League batters, tying a record set by fellow left-handed screwballer Carl Hubbell in the 1934 contest.
In 1987, he began to slump, dropping off to 14-14 with a 3.98 ERA. By 1988, when he won just five games and missed much of the season (ironically, in a year in which the Dodgers won the World Series), it was obvious he had a dead arm.
No longer blessed with his great screwball, he came back in 1989 and went 10-13, improving to 13-13 a year later. He had one last great moment on June 29, 1990, when he threw a 6-0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals just hours after the Oakland Athletics' Dave Stewart had thrown one against the Toronto Blue Jays. In fact, Valenzuela watched Stewart's no-hit game on television and told his teammates he was going to throw one too.
[edit] Post Dodger Career
After pitching ineffectively in spring training in 1991, Valenzuela was released by the Dodgers. An abortive attempt at a comeback with the California Angels failed later that summer. He returned to the Mexican League, where he pitched and played some first base when he wasn't on the mound, before making another brief comeback in 1993 with the Baltimore Orioles.
Jumping between the big leagues and Mexico for the next few seasons, he put together one more solid big-league season in 1996 for the San Diego Padres, going 13-8 with a 3.62 ERA. He retired a year later with a final record of 173-153 and a 3.54 ERA.
In 2003, he returned to the Dodger organization as the Spanish-language radio color commentator for National League West games, joining Jaime Jarrin and Pepe Yniguez in the Spanish-language booth.
On June 29, 2004, Valenzuela announced he would return to the mound in the Liga Mexicana del Pacífico (the Mexican Pacific Coast League) in October at which time he was nearly 44 years old. He pitched again that Mexican winter league, during the 2005-06 season.
In 2005, he was named one of three starting pitchers on Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team.
Valenzuela also served in the coaching staff of Team Mexico. He served in that position during the World Baseball Classic held in the Spring of 2006, prior to the start of that year's season.
[edit] Family
His son, Fernando Jr., played in the San Diego Padres organization as a first baseman. In 2006, Fernando Jr. moved to the Kannapolis Intimidators, a Class A League team in the South Atlantic League affliated with the Chicago White Sox and located in Kannapolis, NC, as a first baseman.
[edit] References
- Click, Paul. "20 Years Ago, Fernando Valenzuela Was King of the Hill", Baseball Digest, July, 2001. Retrieved on February 15, 2007.
- Linden, Lance. Fernandomania, Revisited.
- O'Connor, Kevin. St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture: Fernando Valenzuela.
[edit] External links
- Fernando Valenzuela at:
| Preceded by Steve Howe |
National League Rookie of the Year 1981 |
Succeeded by Steve Sax |
| Preceded by Steve Carlton |
National League Cy Young Award 1981 |
Succeeded by Steve Carlton |
| Preceded by Rick Reuschel |
National League Gold Glove Award (P) 1986 |
Succeeded by Rick Reuschel |
| Major League Baseball | MLB Latino Legends Team |
|---|
|
Iván Rodríguez | Albert Pujols | Rod Carew | Edgar Martinez | Alex Rodriguez | Roberto Clemente | Manny Ramírez |
Categories: 1960 births | Living people | Major league pitchers | Los Angeles Dodgers players | Mayos de Navojoa players | Baltimore Orioles players | California Angels players | Philadelphia Phillies players | San Diego Padres players | St. Louis Cardinals players | National League All-Stars | Mexican baseball players | Baseball Rookies of the Year | Gold Glove Award winners | Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a no-hitter | Major League Baseball announcers | People from Navojoa | People from Sonora
