- ABC News
- October 23, 2024
Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired "Fernandomania" while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, has died at 63. The Dodgers announced the news, saying Valenzuela died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital. They did not provide the cause or other details. Valenzuela's death comes as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series on Friday night at home against the New York Yankees. Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela would be honored during the Series at Dodger Stadium. After pitching in the majors for 17 seasons, Valenzuela served as a Spanish-language broadcaster for the Dodgers, starting in 2003. He had stepped away from his broadcasting duties before the start of these playoffs to "focus on his health," the team said. Called up late in the 1980 season as a reliever, Valenzuela, who was born in Navojoa, Mexico, took the baseball world by storm in the strike-shortened...