V
Valenzuela, Fernando
Identification Mexican American baseball player
Born November 1, 1960; Etchohuaquila, Mexico
A Mexican-born, left-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles
Dodgers, Valenzuela became a star among both Spanish-
and English-speaking baseball fans across the United States.
Both in their original home in Brooklyn and, since
1958, in Los Angeles, the Dodgers had been a base-
ball organization known for developing young play-
ers. At times during the twentieth century, the Rookie
of the Year award seemed virtually a Dodger pre-
serve. Thus, it was no surprise to seasoned observers
of baseball when Fernando Valenzuela—a young
left-hander who had been signed with the Dodgers
organization by scout Mike Brito two years earlier—
was promoted to the major leagues in 1980 and
quickly dazzled fans as a relief pitcher.
A truly startling phenomenon emerged the fol-
lowing year, however, when Valenzuela was inserted
into the Dodgers’ starting rotation. He threw three
shutouts in his first four games, an unprecedented
feat. Valenzuela’s pudgy physique, his youth, and his
inability to speak English contributed to his aura.
Despite striking out many batters, he was not a tradi-
tional hard thrower. His most effective pitch was a
screwball (a pitch that uses a reverse motion from
those of curveballs and sliders); it spun away from
batters, leaving them swinging at air. His mastery of
this unusual pitch made Valenzuela particularly en-
tertaining to watch.
Valenzuela, a Mexican pitcher, was performing in
Los Angeles, which was home to the second-largest
urban population of Mexicans in the world, after
Mexico City. He excited Latino fans to come to the
ballpark as never before. The socioeconomic gap be-
tween Valenzuela’s home state of Sonora, in north-
ern Mexico, and the bucolic, well-manicured Dodger
Stadium was far greater than the physical distance of
several hundred miles between them. The pitcher’s
ability to bridge this gap made him a hero to Latinos
across America.
Valenzuela became a huge star among the English-
speaking population of the United States as well,
even though his postgame comments had to be
translated for the media by Dodgers coach Manny
Mota. When, in Valenzuela’s fifth start of 1981, he
shut out the San Francisco Giants in a Monday eve-
ning game, his status as a legitimate sensation was
confirmed, and the era of “Fernandomania” began.
Two starts later, Valenzuela made his debut in Amer-
ica’s largest city, as the Dodgers faced the New YorkLos Angeles Dodger Fernando Valenzuela pitches in the 1986 All
Star game. Valenzuela struck out five consecutive batters, tying an
All Star game record.(AP/Wide World Photos)