They want to play for the Dodgers, they root for the Dodgers and the Dodgers are winning because of a Mexican. Im not saying Fernando cured all the racism in Southern California, but he was definitely a bridge to let people know that we are OK., The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn after the 1957 season and played their first four seasons in Los Angeles at Memorial Coliseum. Ryne Sandberg was selected a total of ten times, while Eddie Murray (eight times), Lee Smith (seven), Fernando Valenzuela (six) and Tony Pea (five) were all selected at least five times. Fernando Valenzuela (Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher) But he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for a 6-year span and a true Dodger legend. Large homemade 'Viva Fernando' signs in the bleachers were all the rage. Its been a lot of years since someone has worn No. Each of the Dodgers retired numbers was worn by a player who played a majority of his career with the club and was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Darryl Kile, who died during the 2002 season, is also on the ballot. And in my opinion, Fernando should have pitched another five years easy if it wasnt because Lasorda didnt care for the welfare if this great Mexican pitcher that came to the Dodgers from a little town in Sonora, Mexico. ?subscriber: (@TimRogers2080) August 7, 2016. Fernando mania was born and brought not just Mexicans but the whole Latino to dodger stadium. It was a cultural phenomenon that galvanized a minority community. Fernandos peak from late 1980-1986 was filled with high performance, and historic impact on the game. Follow him on Twitter @JesseSanchezMLB and Facebook. Fernando Valenzuela - Baseball-Reference.com The screwball relies on movement and lots of feeling. He made everybody feel bigger and welcome. David Venn is the executive editor of LasMayores.com, MLBs official Spanish-language website. Dodgers to retire Fernando Valenzuela's No. 34 this summer BREAKING: Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, a stalwart of the Dodgers' rotation spanning an era from Sandy Koufax to Fernando Valenzuela, has died. Seaver, who was 7-1 in each half of the split season, got eight first-place votes, seven for second. Ive always been asked what the situation is, with Cooperstown and all that, Valenzuela says. The ballot consisted of 33 players; 496 ballots were cast, with 372 votes required for election. Results of the 2003 election by the BBWAA were announced on January 7. He knew how to play the game. His teammates were so captivated, says Littwin, who wrote many Valenzuela-related stories in 1981. All Rights Reserved. The screwball that swept side to side out of the strike one was best against free swingers. We won. From purely a fan perspective I cannot think of a player since Jackie Robinson that has had a generational draw like Valenzuela. Gwynn owns all-time Padres records for batting average, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, triples, RBIs, walks, stolen bases and games played. Remembering Fernandomania 40 years later | MLB.com There are endless stories of Latino Dodgers fans that talk about how Fernando brought either their parents or grandparents into the Dodgers fandom, and now that fandom continues. He placed in the top 5 in Cy Young voting 4 times in. If you click on the tweet at the top of the article you can see how much Fernando meant to them and their families. Although it was not an elimination game, it was definitely a must-win situation. He changed our lives.. Outside of Jackie Robinson and maybe Babe Ruth, Valenzuela reshaped baseballs landscape more than any other player in history. Didnt . Twenty years old!! Not necessarily looking for HOFers. The confidence that we had in him, along with what Tommy and the coaching staff had in him was very real and we just knew that, somehow, he was going to get it done.. Leading up to the celebration Sunday of Valenzuelas landmark rookie season, there were renewed pleas for the franchise to make an exception to its arbitrary policy of retiring only the numbers of Hall of Famers. Its a memory I always have, of saying, He gave me this opportunity, I have to take advantage of it, Valenzuela said. I think at that point that we were in the playoffs and the World Series, he knew me and the way I liked to pitch, Valenzuela says. Italics mark those subsequently elected. He threw 113 complete games, including 31 shutouts. Dodgers: The Hall of Fame Case for Fernando Valenzuela My slider wasnt very good. Dodgers: The Hall of Fame Case for Fernando Valenzuela. It was really important for me because things went well, Valenzuela says. ), Hal McCoy received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award honoring a baseball writer. He was calm and quiet, but very confident and intelligent. I always looked at the Hall of Fame differently than most voters. His second home start on April 27 against the Giants was yet another shutout, his fourth in five starts. In addition to inspiring the multiple generations of Latin American players, Valenzuela created multiple generations of Mexican fans. Maybe the Dodgers will come to their senses by then. This story originally ran in 2021. He worked 18 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer and four years at ESPN. Evidently the writers passed over one man selected by the Hall of Famers, for there were 26 players on the final ballot. Kellogg's Corn Flakes put him on a box of cereal. In fact, at this point, it is premature and meaningless to discuss the induction of a nine-year-old pitcher into the Hall of Fame. It led to a violent conflict between one family, the Archigas, and L.A. County Sheriffs in 1959. The Mexican-American community has always been large in Los Angeles, but it was not attached to the Dodgers when they were imported from Brooklyn. By comparison, Koufaxs peak seven-year WAR was 46. "The Dodgers lucked out," Arellano says of Brita's discovery. People have always been very patient with me, Valenzuela, 60, says in Spanish one recent morning from his home in Los Angeles. It was a historic run that almost didnt happen. Comedian George Lopez reacts after his ceremonial first pitch during the 2009 NLDS. This guy was godsend like orel, and Clayton. Jim Kaat was on the ballot for the 15th and final time. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Through it all, Valenzuelas teammates marveled at his poise and his athletic ability. Top 10 MLB Players From Mexico - HowTheyPlay

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