Dodgers pitching legend Fernando Valenzuela passes at age 63

[Terry Yake]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848931308233232764

Click to read more...

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1848931308233232764

RIP

Dodgers had some real good young aces come up in 80's

Valenzuela
Hershiser
Welch
Martinez (Ramon)

Could have continued if the organization hadn't botched its assessment of Pedro Martinez in early nineties

From Lasorda believing he couldn't be a starter in MLB and use him in pen to GM Fred Claire making that disastrous decision to trade him to Montreal for 2B Delino Deshields

 

[John Price]

 

[Unholy Diver]

I was never a Dodgers fan, but it was hard not to love Fernando

Fernandomania forever

Dodgers legendary pitcher Valenzuela dies at 63

Fernando Valenzuela, the impetus behind "Fernandomania" while starring for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1980s, has died at the age of 63.

www.espn.com

 

[John Price]

RIP

 

[sansabri]

screwball legend

 

[PanthersPens62]

RIP

 

[BB79]

RIP and thanks for the memories

 

[Jumptheshark]

Unless you were alive--it is hard to explain just how big and chaotic Fernando mania was in the early 80's. Too bad injuries slowed him down

 

[frisco]

I was already a Dodger fan at 12 when Fernando came on the scene. He was my favorite player. That Game Three vs. the Yankees in the 1981 World Series with the Dodgers down 2-0 when rookie Fernando gutted out a complete game 5-4 win (147 pitches) was the stuff of legends and remains to me the greatest baseball game of all-time. Wednesday was the 43rd anniversary of that game.

My Best-Carey

 

[kingsholygrail]

He was a fascinating pitcher. It's too bad he didn't hang around long enough in the league to compile the stats necessary to get into the Hall. Personally, I think he's worthy. He had an explosive run even if it was brief.

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

i was looking at his stats. damn-lasorda really did max out the usage of this poor fella. the guy once led the league with 20 complete games.

makes me wonder if he could've been a hall of famer it it wasn't for that type of workload for about 6 years. instead of a pitch count maybe follow an innings cap, say 7 innings max.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Probably one of the more interesting stories in the history of the game. The Dodgers latino grassroots (especially with how ugly the Chavez Ravine squabble was in the 50s/60s) can almost entirely be traced back to the onset of Fernandomania.

Great pitcher at his peak that was sadly done in by insane usage (even in those days) and the fact the screwball has since been determined to be an absolute killer on the arm of the guy throwing it.

His legacy will assuredly live on though. Be it in the annals of Dodgers lore/history or his cards in MLB the show routinely being a nightmare for people to hit with. True to life really. His screwball IRL was a bullshit pitch to hit and it's the same in game lmao.