They didnt have to wait long. The ratings for the Dodgers Spanish language broadcasts more than doubled when he pitched. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! In the 1981 World Series against the New York Yankees, the Dodgers lost the first two games. (John Cordes / National Baseball Hall of Fame Library) You can make a case that there are a handful of modern pioneers that have helped open the door for baseball in a lot of different ways and should be full members of the Hall of Fame.. It was beyond imagining that Fernando could have made it from this town. Forty years later, he still has the memento. 2), Duke Snider (No. His first taste of Fernandomania came on April 27, 1981, when he watched from the left field bleachers as Valenzuela threw a seven-hit shutout and notched three hits in a 5-0 victory against the Giants. Follow him on Twitter @DavidVennMLB. Several artifacts from his illustrious career are housed in Cooperstown at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, but he has not received the call for enshrinement. Fernandos peak from late 1980-1986 was filled with high performance, and historic impact on the game. What position did Fernando Valenzuela play? Four decades later, the ordinary-looking man with extraordinary talent remains a cultural hero, a baseball legend and a mythical figure because of his feats on the field, and his humble nature off of it. Still, he remains the only MLB player since baseball integrated in 1947 to win his first eight career starts. But even Jaffe, a seasoned analyst who relies on hard numbers to make Hall of Fame cases, has a soft spot for Valenzuela. He earned Mexicos Premio Nacional del Deporte, the countrys highest sports honor, last November. [button color=red size=big alignment=none rel=follow openin=samewindow url=https://dodgersnation.com/yet-another-dodgers-organizational-loss-cp1085/2018/11/14/]Yet Another Dodgers Organizational Loss[/button]. [40] . On January 8, 2002, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) conducted their yearly ballot for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He also appeared on the covers of The Sporting News, Sport Magazine, Baseball Digest and countless other publications. Players you saw at the end of their careers who were surprisingly good - posted in Trivia, Questions, Advice: Im looking for guys who surprised you how good they were once you were old enough to go back and look at their numbers. So, is Fernando Valenzuela a Hall of Fame-worthy player? Valenzuela's rise to major league prominence began in September 1980, when he was called up from the minor leagues by the Dodgers. Dodgers rookie Zach McKinstry, known as Z-Mac to teammates, hits a two-run home run and doubles in a run in a 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals. But Arellano, who for years thought Valenzuela didn't merit Hall of Fame consideration, believes otherwise. But he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for a 6-year span and a true Dodger legend. In a 2-0 opening-day victory over the Houston Astros, Valenzuela pitched a complete game. Fernando had three great years and hung around-not enough. Both cycles first concluded with elections in February 2003, electing no one. But it always was when Valenzuela pitched. In 10 games as a relief pitcher, he allowed zero earned runs. Viva Fernandomania! The program is trying to recapture its traditions while building new ones in the modern era. 4), Don Sutton (No. The lone exception is Jim Gilliam (No. Valenzuela wasnt the first to throw the screwball. Valenzuela had a career record of 173 wins and 153 losses. The only left-handed pitcher in the Hall of Fame with a WAR lower than Valenzuelas is Rube Marquard (32.5), who began pitching in 1908. Later that summer, Valenzuela attended a state luncheon at the White House with President Ronald Reagan. (Lou Sauritch/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) Within a few short weeks, Fernandomania was sweeping the nation. Of course they dropped the ball when presented with a perfect opportunity to officially remove Fernando Valenzuelas No. This guy had some unbelievable talent, but for me, the key to Fernando was that he just wanted to be treated like the 24 other players and not get any special treatment. In the early '80s, theres still this huge migration wave from Mexico that brought up my parents, brought up all of my friends and the parents of my friends, Arellano says. Position: Starting Pitcher. Darryl Kile, who died during the 2002 season, is also on the ballot. "When I came up in 1980, it was at my locker. This story originally ran in 2021. Bobby Cox, Bud Selig,John Schuerholz, Bruce Sutter, Bill Mazeroski, and many others without the qualifications of Valenzuela are in the Hall of Fame. 34. Now, more than 40% of the teams fans are Latino. "He meant everything to a community that was thirsting for a hero, Arellano says. 1), manager Tommy Lasorda (No. Eliminated from annual BBWAA consideration by poor performance or expiration on this ballot. The rule that requires players to be retired for five seasons before appearing on the ballot was waived. While the ERA looks impressive, the Mexican Center League was a low-offense environment and three team staffs had lower ERAs. You can try refreshing the page, and if you're still having problems, just try again later. The city was celebrating its 200th anniversary and the Latino population was exploding. No ifs or butts about it!!! Wow-what horrid reasoning. Fernandos legacy to me is that of Cuban Minnie Mioso, another trailblazer, Thorn says. Fernando.. I came to San Diego for college and never left nor did I ever switch my Dodgers' allegiance. Just like the good old days, he still loves sliding behind the wheel of his Corvette for long leisurely drives. He was the best and most of his losses in first 7 years were by one run or dodgers getting shut out and he didntt choke in post season plus de didntt need relief since most of time he was around 9 innings and was used as pinch hitter too.he could play good defense too.sorry but Kershaw not in his class .healthy Fernando would have won 4 world series the last 4 years that Kershaw failed. 42) and Don Drysdale (No. Valenzuela had a strong 6 years plus had a huge impact, Tim Rogers 2080 ? Valenzuela was the first pitcher to accomplish both feats in the same season. I threw well -- nine innings, nine zeros. Everyone was clamoring for Fernando stories and it was just so unbelievable the amount of attention he was getting, says Steve Brener, who was the director of publicity for the Dodgers from 1970-87. Lopezs grandparents made him a Dodgers fan in the late 1960s and the family attended games throughout the 1970s, sporting the teams iconic blue and white colors. Before refuting the premise by citing his career numbers or the brevity of his peak, consider this: Bud Selig,. If things had turned out differently, if I didnt do my job, we dont know if there would have been more opportunities, no? Valenzuela said. He won 141 games (8th in franchise history). The same applies. I think a lot of baseball media not on the west coast forget about Fernando. Fernando Valenzuela: 31: 6.25: Keith Hernandez: 30 . The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) held an election to select from among recent players; Gary Carter and Eddie Murray were elected. He was 75. Morris was a marginal choice propelled by hype-though he won more games than any pitcher in the 1980s. He was also a six-time All Star (1981-1986) and third in the Cy Young voting in 1982 with 19 wins and second in 1986 when he led the league in wins with 21. He began with a high leg kick, then briefly paused before throwing the pitch. OMalley once wished out loud for a Mexican Sandy Koufax, a pitcher who could capture fans imaginations the way the Hall of Famer had. In 1981, an 11-year-old Jaffe used to cut Valenzuelas box scores out of his local Salt Lake City newspaper and paste them into a scrapbook. We have had so many great players that if we tried to retire everyone's number who would qualify, then we would be in triple digits on our uniforms now, Kasten says. Army family housing appropriation thresholds. For my generation, Im talking Generation X, the children of Mexican immigrants that grew up in Southern California in the 1980s, hes not a myth, he was a hero. 34 from their jersey rotation. His biggest accomplishment was how he took baseball by storm in a time where the dodger organization was rejected by the Latino community in regards to Chvez ravine. Fernando.". During his six-year peak run from 1981-86, he sported a 2.97 ERA in 1,537 innings with 84 complete games and 26 shutouts. This will be all age related. Came from Mexico in the late 70's, and Fernando made him a baseball fan. David Venn is the executive editor of LasMayores.com, MLBs official Spanish-language website. Back at sold-out Dodger Stadium, fans bought T-shirts with Valenzuelas name on the back, made their own or bought bootleg versions available all over the city. La Opinin. I really think theres a home for Fernando in the Hall," says the longtime sportswriter. Before that, he was the Dodgers beat writer. He had a brief but eye-opening debut as a reliever (no earned runs in 17 2/3 innings) down the stretch in 80, but he was still just a 20-year-old kid. Forty years later, there are still memories.. There are certain guys who, for me, impacted the game way beyond any kind of statistical analysis or the standard criteria that most voters use. Valenzuela was pitching on short rest, and he clearly did not have his best stuff. I always prepared my arm to throw a lot of pitches. Which isnt to say Selig isnt deserving. Follow her on Twitter @NathalieMLB. I always looked at the Hall of Fame differently than most voters. Opening day of 1981 launched "Fernandomania," a phenomenon in Los Angeles and then the nation named after the Mexican-born pitcher. "Fernando helped get the Dodgers back on track (with fans)," he says. Fernando pitched well beyond his years, from Day 1, Scioscia says. The ballpark was electrified by his performance, Lopez recalled. Fernando Valenzuela 2016 CALIFORNIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE Valenzuela began his professional baseball career at the age of 17 with the Guanajuato Tuzos, going 5-6 with a 2.23 ERA. Valenzuela also had one of the more distinctive windups and deliveries of all time. The comedian still chuckles when he recalls an unscheduled mound visit and the cheers it elicited to the sold-out stadium. It was just that Fernando was so exciting, and lots of people wanted to go to Dodgers games. He could hit, he could bunt, field his position. Valenzuelas next three starts came on the road -- in San Francisco, San Diego and Houston. And ever since his induction into the Hall of Fame, his 1981 Donruss rookie card has enjoyed a nice bump in value. A total of 3272 individual votes were cast, an average of 6.60 per ballot. Valenzuela made the Dodgers the team of a community that once viewed the franchise with suspicion. Dodgers pitcher Bobby Castillo taught Valenzuela the screwball in the winter of 1979 at the urging of legendary scout Mike Brito, who signed both of them. Fans bought T-shirts with Valenzuelas name on the back, made their own or bought bootleg versions available all over the city. He attends every game, but he has maintained his laid-back style, staying put in the press box during pregame batting practice to keep from being a distraction. That helped me a lot in my career.. People in U.S. soccer circles have spent decades looking for a Mexican American star and the best they have come up with is, who, Herculez Gomez? Im not going to speculate, but it is safe to say that he could have averaged 15 wins per season up until 1996, cementing his bid to the hall of fame. He could do everything on a baseball field but run. 12 1 minute read. It begins in one direction and unexpectedly breaks in the opposite direction. He finished top-3 in Cy Young voting two more times before fizzling out in 1990. Five years earlier, a statue of Valenzuela was erected at the entrance of Estadio de Bisbol Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico. / George Rose/Getty Images, Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms, https://www.history.com/news/fernando-valenzuela-fernandomania-los-angeles-dodgers, When 20-Year-Old Rookie Fernando Valenzuela Captivated LAand Major League Baseball. Jarrn said his favorite memory of the 1981 season was of the time he accompanied Valenzuela to a luncheon at the White House that was staged in honor of then-Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo. Results of the 2003 election by the BBWAA were announced on January 7. In the clubhouse, Valenzuela showed his youth and flashed glimpses of his playful personality. They had no telephone, so we surprised them. He would have won over 25 wins every year with dodgers last 6 seasons for sure and 5 world series, He also won 21 games in 86 with a fifth place dodger team and was robbed of his second cy young awards given to Mike Scott of the Astros with only 16 wins big time robbery, I agree with the fact that he was overused. I was assigned that number, but I really dont know whats going to happen. He was a prankster and impressed his teammates with another skill nobody expected. Honorees have a permanent plaque on display at Dodger Stadium. In his next seven starts, Valenzuela completed every game, a rarity. Those candidates receiving less than 5% of the vote (25 votes) will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee. It was the fifth game of Valenzuelas eight-game winning streak. He was one of us, and we wanted to be like him.. Dodger Stadium became the place to be. Thats just a ridiculous responsibility to assign to him, and its much more complicated than that.. The Dodgers won the next three contests to clinch the World Series title in six games.

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