In front of a crowd of 50,511, Valenzuela showed no signs of nerves as he twirled a five-hit shutout, striking out five with the help of his screwball, to help Los Angeles start the season with a 2-0 win over the Astros. He placed in the top 5 in Cy Young voting 4 times in. Seaver, who was 7-1 in each half of the split season, got eight first-place votes, seven for second. In front of 56,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome, Chuck Finley and Randy Johnson combined to no-hit a team of Japanese All-Stars in a 5-0 win. On January 8, 2002, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) conducted their yearly ballot for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Valenzuelas feats lured members of all communities in Los Angeles to the ballpark, including a few unlikely fans: those displaced by the construction of Dodger Stadium. Comedian George Lopez reacts after his ceremonial first pitch during the 2009 NLDS. Loaiza never again repeated his Chicago success before retiring after the 2008 season. The children of Valenzuelas fans, and now even their children, have become Dodgers fans. You can try refreshing the page, and if you're still having problems, just try again later. I always prepared my arm to throw a lot of pitches. Forty years later, he still has the memento. The field included four Rookies of the Year (Murray, Valenzuela, Vince Coleman and Todd Worrell), as well as one MVP (Sandberg) and two Cy Young Award winners (Valenzuela and Mark Davis). ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, Elliott: Pissed off Kings must improve in key areas to break Oilers playoff stranglehold, Shohei Ohtanis seventh home run of the season helps Angels avoid sweep, Florida Panthers upset record-setting Boston Bruins in Game 7 OT thriller, Lakers vs. Warriors: What scouts expect in playoff series, School is in session as Sparks begin training camp. ?subscriber: (@TimRogers2080) August 7, 2016. It has sustained itself to the point where I really believe half the crowds at Dodger Stadium now are Latinos.. The Veterans Committee held elections both for players who were active no later than 1981 and for non-players (managers, umpires and executives), but did not select anyone. Fernando Valenzuela: 31: 6.25: Keith Hernandez: 30 . He has not yet appeared in any of the special era ballots, but that is his best hope. It was immediate, and it was powerful. How many strikeouts did Fernando Valenzuela have? He watched the entire city embrace him. No ifs or butts about it!!! Now, more than 40% of the teams fans are Latino. Overuse, along with throwing a screwball, were probably the main culprits of his shortened career. On-field excellence aside, his impact off the field for many people of Mexican and Latino heritage made Fernando so important. However, it was the screwball that was the main reason for his amazing peak from 1980-1986. He never complained about aches and pains, a trait that also hurt any potential candidacy. The screwball relies on movement and lots of feeling. Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2003_Baseball_Hall_of_Fame_balloting&oldid=1146471837, Articles needing additional references from January 2021, All articles needing additional references, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Hall of Fame member elected on this ballot (named in, Hall of Fame member elected subsequently to 2023 (named in. 39), Jackie Robinson (No. The screwball is hard to learn, even harder to throw and risky because it puts so much stress on the arm. Among 85 eligible voters, 79 cast ballots so 60 votes were the minimum to elect a candidate. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We will never share your email with anyone, A fan of the Dodgers since 1973 since I got my first baseball cards while living in Long Beach. That helped me a lot in my career.. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Dodgers dont need the long ball to finish sweep of Cardinals, Clayton Kershaw adds to his Dodgers legend with another pitching gem, With Miguel Vargas at second base, Dodgers have an expectation he will get better, Celebrating the legacy of Fernandomania 40 years later, Arellano: The Gospel of Fernandomania: Fernando Valenzuela remains a Mexican American icon, Rookie Zach McKinstry continues his torrid start as Dodgers sweep Nationals. But Arellano, who for years thought Valenzuela didn't merit Hall of Fame consideration, believes otherwise. (The award was voted at the December 2002 meeting of the BBWAA, dated 2002, and conferred in the summer 2003 ceremonies.). I cant remember one player who captured the fantasy of the fans and the media the way Fernando did. . Valenzuela actually threw three screwballs, and he threw each of them depending on the situation. Some know me as the "sweater guy". He is part of a group of players once considered outsiders and that changed the games landscape upon their entry. Follow her on Twitter @NathalieMLB. Valenzuela had never started a Major League game when he got the call on Opening Day 1981. This season, Valenzuela is calling games inside the Dodgers' Spanish radio booth alongside Hall of Fame broadcaster Jaime Jarrn, who hails from Ecuador and once served as the pitchers personal interpreter during 1981s Fernandomania. But it always was when Valenzuela pitched. You could see how genuine and humble he was through it all and that also resonated with people.. Fernando Valenzuela played 17 seasons. 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. If you have any questions please feel free to email Athletic Director Jesse Irvin or call 240-740-6415 anytime. On opening day on April 8, 1981, scheduled starting pitcher Jerry Reuss suffered an injury while warming up. 173153 and a 3.54 earned run averagethose are HOF numbers? I think the players were as caught up as anyone else., Decades later, Valenzuela said his 1981 success was simple. For road games, attendance increased by 5,000 to 10,000 for his starts. Valenzuela falls short in all three of Bill James tests making it only halfway in the most accurate predictor getting 25 of the 50 that indicates a HOF election..and then there is abysmal showing in the actual voting. 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. Spencer, who grew up in Southern California, watched Valenzuela transform from a reserved young man to worldwide phenomenon. ?subscriber: (@TimRogers2080) November 10, 2018. In 10 games as a relief pitcher, he allowed zero earned runs. I was assigned that number. 53). Darryl Kile, who died during the 2002 season, is also on the ballot. In addition, Darryl Kile was exempted from the five-season rule and included on the ballot, due to his unexpected death during the 2002 season. Loaiza won 21 games to match Fernando Valenzuela's single-season record for a Mexican-born pitcher and finished as the runner-up in Cy Young Award voting. 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. 34 Dodgers jersey with LOPEZUELA stitched across the back of his shoulders when he threw out a ceremonial first pitch before a Dodgers home game in 2012. Back in his home country, the Mexican Baseball League -- Liga Mexicana de Beisbol -- retired Valenzuelas No. Kellogg's Corn Flakes put him on a box of cereal. His teammates were so captivated, says Littwin, who wrote many Valenzuela-related stories in 1981. A new Historical Overview Committee comprising ten baseball writers nominated 200 players and 60 managers, umpires, and executives. Dodgers Offseason: Could LA Work Out an Extension with Julio Urias? We're doing our best to get things working smoothly! Fernando.. Todays Fernando is a fun-loving grandfather with a dry sense of humor and perfect comedic timing. 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. Good pitcher and all that Fernando mania stuff but not HOF. The Dodgers actually found him, which was in itself a miracle. Fernando had three great years and hung around-not enough. Lyle Spencer, who covered the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner from 1977-81, was paired with Valenzuela as an English tutor during Spring Training of 1981. Theres Pee Wee Reese (No. He is in the most important HOF- my heart and mind. Dodgers: The Hall of Fame Case for Fernando Valenzuela. "Fernando helped get the Dodgers back on track (with fans)," he says. That wasnt a Dodgers shirt. Los Angeles was evolving when Fernandomania erupted in 1981. Lalo and Mark Guerrero, father and son musicians, had a regional hit with their song, Fernando El ToroFernando The Bull. While he played for six MLB teams, his longest tenure was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The rule that requires players to be retired for five seasons before appearing on the ballot was waived. At one point, the left-hander made 255 consecutive starts before going on the injured list for the first time in 1988 because of shoulder troubles that cost him two months and the opportunity to pitch in another World Series. Nathalie Alonso is part of the editorial team of LasMayores.com, MLBs official Spanish-language website. The ballot consisted of 33 players; 496 ballots were cast, with 372 votes required for election. For his career, Valenzuela finished with a record of 173-153, a 41.5 career WAR, a 3.54 ERA, 2,930 innings pitched, 2,074 strikeouts and a 1.32 WHIP. I wore it like any other number. You cannot like what happened at Chavez Ravine and still love the Dodgers, says Arellano, who also taught Chicano Studies at Cal State Fullerton. He won the Rookie of the Year award and Cy Young award, given annually to the best pitcher in each league. 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.
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