Young won 511 games between 1890 and 1911 and was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1937. 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. We won. She made that.. Don Newcombe, Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela, Kirk Gibson and Maury Wills were previously enshrined as "Legends," whose plaques are displayed at the top of the stadium behind home plate. Valenzuela had a strong 6 years plus had a huge impact, Tim Rogers 2080 ? Fernando was in the inaugural class because of the impact he had here and because of the following he continues to have among our fanbase.. Dodger Stadium became the place to be. 1981-04-09 LA Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela's 1st start, beats Astros 2-0; 1981-04-22 Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela tosses his 3rd shutout in 4 starts; 1981-09-17 Fernando Valenzuela sets NL rookie record with 8th shutout of season; 1981-11-11 LA Dodgers starter Fernando Valenzuela becomes first MLB rookie to win a Cy Young Award; Milwaukee Brewers' Rollie Fingers takes . And it turned out that this young rookie became arguably the key piece.. The audience that was won over by Valenzuela remains. This story was originally published on April 16, 2021. His best seasons were 1981, his rookie year, and 1986, when he led the National League with 21 wins and had a league-leading 20 complete games. 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. Art or Photo Credit: Tom Forget / MLB.com, Jesse Sanchez, Nathalie Alonso, David Venn. Uh oh. Fernando Valenzuela. Dylan Hernndez is a sports columnist with the Los Angeles Times. I really think theres a home for Fernando in the Hall," says the longtime sportswriter. Through the 1986 season, he was 99-68 with a 2.94 earned-run average, 84 complete games and 24 shutouts. Shes like us, out there running around with a T-shirt with blue sleeves that she bought at a hardware store and had 34 ironed on the back. From 1980-86, his statistics say yes. But he never matched the heights of his rookie season. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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. He was a breath of fresh air as a youngster with a mans knowledge on how to play the game.. The ratings for the Dodgers Spanish language broadcasts more than doubled when he pitched. You can try refreshing the page, and if you're still having problems, just try again later. 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. The 2022 Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame Inductees: Tony DeRiggi '04. Dont be stupid after his injury he was never the same also too many innings pitched but his first 6 years healthy he dominated over hall of famers Carlton Ryan,Seaver anybody and didntt choke in postseason still up to this date no rookie pitcher has started the season 8 and 0 with 5 by shutout and all of them complete games.Even been over the hill still recover some greatness to pitch a no hitter in 1990. Don't miss any of the Dodgers latest News, Rumors, and Exclusive Offers! Especially in L.A., this guy still inspires us. How many strikeouts did Fernando Valenzuela have? On January 8, 2002, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) conducted their yearly ballot for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Valenzuela was scheduled to pitch Game 7 in New York, but as it turned out, his heroics in Game 3 helped set the Dodgers on a path to making that start unnecessary. Italics mark those subsequently elected. The fact that he was Mexican and that he was so good, and so humble while on such an incredible run was inspiring, Lopez says. 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If they could have fit a million people into Dodger Stadium, there would have been a million people there, actor Danny Trejo, the son of Mexican American parents, told the Los Angeles Times. Phil Sheridan spent more than 30 years reporting and writing on sports for Philadelphia-area newspapers. Not necessarily looking for HOFers. His case is not an easy one to take on as his prime was pretty short, and his career numbers are not eye popping. On-field excellence aside, his impact off the field for many people of Mexican and Latino heritage made Fernando so important. You can also follow SVHS athletics on twitter and Instagram @svhsathletics or at screamingeagleathletics on Facebook. Just 6.2% in 2003 and 3.8 in 2004. Fernando Valenzuela went on to pitch 11 years for the Dodgers (1980-1990). There have been those who have thrown the screwball hard and those are the ones who have the arm troubles, Thorn says. You could see how genuine and humble he was through it all and that also resonated with people.. Former Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela throws a ceremonial first pitch before the MLB All-Star Game last summer at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers actually found him, which was in itself a miracle. 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. [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]. Of the 15 left-handed Major League pitchers in the Hall Fame, only Lefty Gomez (2,503) and Koufax (2,324 1/3) threw fewer innings than Venezuela. The Dodgers announced on Saturday that Valenzuela's No.. ?subscriber: (@TimRogers2080) November 10, 2018. Put Fernando in the hall of fame. 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. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to vote. I was assigned that number, but I really dont know whats going to happen. This story originally ran in 2021. Long ago, he began golfing, giving pro golfers and amateur hackers in Southern California tales of Fernando sightings, from tony country clubs to city courses. 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 how do we honor all the many great other players? He was only 20 years old in 1981 when he won the NL Cy Young Award, Rookie of the Year, 5th in MVP voting, Silver Slugger and went 13-8 while leading the NL in SHO (8), CG (11), IP (192.1) and K (180). 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. But, hey, the 50-year anniversary of Fernandomania is only a decade away. Nathalie Alonso is part of the editorial team 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. Historical Events. 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. Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, 1974 Dodgers Cy Young winner Mike Marshall and Mets and Phillies icon Tug McGraw also threw screwballs. Sooner or later, it has to be properly recognized. I remember this 19-year-old kid from Mexico with long hair and a little bit chubby taking baseball by storm, says Jarrn, 85, who is in his 63rd season as the Spanish-language voice of the Dodgers and is the longest-tenured active baseball radio broadcaster in the game. Fernando Valenzuela had 2,074 strikeouts over his career. 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. The pitch has always been about risk-reward with higher on the risk, but Fernando knew exactly what he was doing with it. Still, he remains the only MLB player since baseball integrated in 1947 to win his first eight career starts. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1991 and 1993 to 1997. The legendary movement from 40 years ago has made him an immortal. Reflecting on his rookie season, Valenzuela spoke of the importance of the emergency start he made on opening day. Note: With the Mexico Series taking place this weekend (April 29 and 30) between the Padres and Giants, we wanted to highlight some of the great Mexican players and stories from baseball's past. But it always was when Valenzuela pitched. 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. Lasorda, who could communicate effectively in Spanish with Latin American players after several seasons managing in the Dominican Winter League, visited the mound after Cerones homer with his pitcher on the ropes. the May 18, 1981, edition of Sports Illustrated, when he threw out a ceremonial first pitch. The rule that requires players to be retired for five seasons before appearing on the ballot was waived. Valenzuela's secret weapon was a screwball, a pitch he learned from Dodgers pitcher Bobby Castillo 18 months earlier. I always looked at the Hall of Fame differently than most voters. It didnt give us a shot in the arm, it gave us a shot in the heart because he gave us somebody to love forever.