Dodgers legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela dies at 63

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6. Fernando Valenzuela, pitching ace of 'Fernandomania' fervor, dies at 63

Fernando Valenzuela, pitching ace of ‘Fernandomania’ fervor, dies at 63
The Mexican left-hander roared into the 1981 season with a nearly unhittable screwball and had Los Angeles Dodgers fans rocking to “Fernandomania.”


Fernando Valenzuela, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher. (David Fields/AP)

By Brian Murphy
Updated October 23, 2024 at 12:25 a.m. EDT|Published October 23, 2024 at 12:06 a.m. EDT

Fernando Valenzuela, a barrel-chested Mexican pitcher whose look-to-the-heavens windup and wicked screwball baffled hitters, dazzled fans and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 1981 World Series title, died Oct. 22 at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 63.

The Dodgers confirmed his death but did not provide further details. He was hospitalized this month for undisclosed health issues after suspending his work as a Spanish-language radio broadcaster covering the team.

In a sport that often celebrates eccentricities, Mr. Valenzuela possessed all the makings of a great baseball saga over his 17 seasons. His rookie year generated so much buzz that it was dubbed “Fernandomania.” Among Southern California’s vast Mexican communities, Mr. Valenzuela was treated like a saint — complete with sidewalk shrines and mariachi ballads. Fans dubbed him “El Toro,” or the bull.


Mr. Valenzuela was nicknamed “El Toro,” or the bull, as the acclaimed left-hander took major league baseball — and Southern California — by storm as a rookie in 1981. (Rusty Kennedy/AP)

The Dodgers played the Abba hit “Fernando” as his stadium theme song. Legions of baseball nerds analyzed every millisecond of his screwball, debated his age (he was listed as 20 but no one was quite sure) and relished Mr. Valenzuela’s double-threat legitimacy as a pitcher who could hit — a bonus that furthered his mystique.

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Mr. Valenzuela is doused with champagne by teammate Tom Niedenfuer after the Dodgers beat the Montreal Expos in five games to win the National League pennant in October 1981. (Ian MacAlpine/AP)

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Mr. Valenzuela and fellow Dodgers pitcher Bobby Castillo prepare for a workout in Philadelphia in May 1981. (Rusty Kennedy/AP)

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By Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy joined The Washington Post after more than 20 years as a foreign correspondent and bureau chief for the Associated Press in Europe and the Middle East. Murphy has reported from more than 50 countries and has written four books.follow on X @BrianFMurphy