Baseball Reference uses a list of 10 similar players for each major leaguer-none of Fernandos comps are HOFers. Fernando Valenzuela's short peak removed him from the MLB Hall of Fame conversation. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Players eligible for the first time who were not included on the ballot were: Damon Berryhill, Mike Bielecki, Darnell Coles, Mariano Duncan, lvaro Espinoza, Greg Gagne, Mike Gallego, Rene Gonzales, Kevin Gross, Mark Gubicza, Ron Karkovice, Joe Orsulak, Jody Reed, Bruce Ruffin, Kevin Seitzer, Don Slaught, and John Smiley. Just like the good old days, he still loves sliding behind the wheel of his Corvette for long leisurely drives. He had it right away, and I think it was exemplified in that game, Game 3, against the Yankees. Instead Fernando went the whole way (he probably threw more than 140 pitches) and helped get the Dodgers on the path to winning the 1981 World Series. Lasorda stuck with Valenzuela and the managers faith in the pitcher was rewarded when Fernando shut down the Yankees the rest of the way. She just threw her arms in the air and embraced him, Lopez says. Thats just a ridiculous responsibility to assign to him, and its much more complicated than that.. You can also follow SVHS athletics on twitter and Instagram @svhsathletics or at screamingeagleathletics on Facebook. Even his first relief appearances in 1980 are quite a memory. Follow her on Twitter @NathalieMLB. He knew how to play the game. If not for Fernando Valenzuela's incredible rookie performance and "Fernandomania" taking the sport by storm, Raines would've easily won the 1981 NL Rookie of the Year Award. My slider wasnt very good. Weak case, asburd argument. the May 18, 1981, edition of Sports Illustrated, when he threw out a ceremonial first pitch. 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. This guy was godsend like orel, and Clayton. In his book, Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between, Eric Nusbaum details how the club ended up with Dodger Stadium, specifically how three Mexican neighborhoods -- Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop -- were destroyed to make way for a housing project that was canceled amid the Red Scare hysteria and real estate speculation. Hall of Fame Inductee Fernando Valenzuela and his daughter attend the 12th Annual California Hall of Fame Ceremony at The California Museum on December 4, 2018 in Sacramento, California. In his next seven starts, Valenzuela completed every game, a rarity. 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. Valenzuela actually threw three screwballs, and he threw each of them depending on the situation. From 1980-86, his statistics say yes. The Mexican-American community has always been large in Los Angeles, but it was not attached to the Dodgers when they were imported from Brooklyn. I think after that, there were more opportunities. Everyone was clamoring for Fernando stories and it was just so unbelievable the amount of attention he was getting, says Steve Brener, who was the director of publicity for the Dodgers from 1970-87. He began with a high leg kick, then briefly paused before throwing the pitch. BREAKING: Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, a stalwart of the Dodgers' rotation spanning an era from Sandy Koufax to Fernando Valenzuela, has died. I always say, maybe if things hadnt gone so well, we dont know if I would have had more chances. Later that summer, Valenzuela attended a state luncheon at the White House with President Ronald Reagan. One of the biggest problems is that the East Coast heavy media personnel have forgotten about the impact he had and his greatness. I always looked at the Hall of Fame differently than most voters. Sixty baseball writers selected from the nominees 25 players and 15 other contributors to appear on the ballots. And in the ultimate sign of fame and ubiquity, he became recognized by his first name only. Voters were instructed to cast votes for up to 10 candidates; any candidate receiving votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be honored with induction to the Hall. On January 8, 2002, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) conducted their yearly ballot for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He is part of a group of players once considered outsiders and who changed the games landscape upon their entry. We created this new class of player called Dodger Legends in our new center-field plaza. Fernando.". In 1981, Fernando Valenzuela woke up from a nap and began pitching, and winning, sparking the phenomenon known as Fernandomania and almost singlehandedly repairing a fractured relationship between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the city's Mexican American community. The screwball that swept side to side out of the strike one was best against free swingers. Those candidates receiving less than 5% of the vote (25 votes) will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee. Lumbago wikipedia france. Position: Starting Pitcher. The Dodgers won the next three contests to clinch the World Series title in six games. Valenzuela deserves a place alongside him. In 2007, Gwynn was inducted into the Hall of Fame after receiving 532 of 545 votes -- the 10th-highest total in MLB history. He was the Mexican who made it and was destroying all of the competition. The Dodgers announced on Saturday that Valenzuela's No.. OMalley once wished out loud for a Mexican Sandy Koufax, a pitcher who could capture fans imaginations the way the Hall of Famer had. The lone exception is Jim Gilliam (No. Dodgers Offseason: Could LA Work Out an Extension with Julio Urias? The problem is, many of those folks also vote on candidates for the Hall of Fame, or write articles that influence HOF voting. ?subscriber: (@TimRogers2080) August 7, 2016. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Not mine as much as my Dad's. Valenzuela only lasted two years on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot before being dropped for lack of votes, meaning he seemingly never had a chance to add his No. But they could not have been sweeter. In 1981, Fernandomania was born. How many of them impacted the fans like Fernando did? He was unbelievable with the lasso, says former Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia, Valenzuelas batterymate. A few families held out and refused to leave their homes, even after the city sold the land to O'Malley for the stadium. 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. No game was more memorable than Game 3 of the World Series against the Yankees at Dodger Stadium. In terms of player comparisons, over the last 25 years guys like Bruce Sutter, Jack Morris, Bill Mazeroski and Jim Rice have all been elected. But the team alienated the city's large Hispanic population from the start. (Italics mark those subsequently elected. He watched the entire city embrace him. Design by Tom Forget. Phil Sheridan spent more than 30 years reporting and writing on sports for Philadelphia-area newspapers. (The award was voted at the December 2002 meeting of the BBWAA, dated 2002, and conferred in the summer 2003 ceremonies.). He expanded the games customer base. Only umpire Doug Harvey tallied more than fifty percent support. My hope is that the media and the people in charge of the Veterans Committee would re-consider what Fernando Valenzuela did; first as a great player and then as an impact on the fans of baseball. And in my opinion, Fernando should have pitched another five years easy if it wasnt because Lasorda didnt care for the welfare if this great Mexican pitcher that came to the Dodgers from a little town in Sonora, Mexico. Back in his home country, the Mexican Baseball League -- Liga Mexicana de Beisbol -- retired Valenzuelas No. Is Fernando Valenzuela in the Hall of Fame? It makes total sense to the Dodgers fans.. He threw 113 complete games, including 31 shutouts. Fernando Valenzuela Stats, Fantasy & News. Fernando also threw a hanging screwball that probably hung in the strike zone too long, but still kept hitters off balance when it was mixed in with all of his other pitches. In the early '80s, theres still this huge migration wave from Mexico that brought up my parents, brought up all of my friends and the parents of my friends, Arellano says. 53). The first time he surrendered a home run, to Montreals Chris Speier, he was unfazed. A total of 3272 individual votes were cast, an average of 6.60 per ballot. In the clubhouse, Valenzuela showed his youth and flashed glimpses of his playful personality. Fernando Valenzuela Position Pitcher Years 1980-1997 Hall Rating 74 Next Ballot Fernando Valenzuela is next eligible for the Hall of Fame via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee in 2023 . So for me a guy like Dave Parker who I only remembered from his last few years on the As. Fernando Valenzuela's screwballand unique deliveryoften baffled hitters in 1981.  Fernando Valenzuela capped his 1981 season by winning the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards.  Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), In the strike-shortened 1981 season, rookie Fernando Valenzuela won 13 games and pitched eight shutouts. 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. He was 75. (In the event, the system was reformed again after the third fruitless election for players and the second for other contributors in February 2007.). Jarrn said his favorite memory of the 1981 season was of the time he accompanied Valenzuela to a luncheon at the White House that was staged in honor of then-Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo. The mission of the Seneca Valley School District Sports Hall of Fame is to recognize the outstanding athletic contributions of Seneca Valley Alumni in their respective athletic endeavors and to promote pride in the athletic heritage of the Seneca Valley community as a whole. He is part of a group of players once considered outsiders and that changed the games landscape upon their entry. 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. There were these growing pains in Southern California, which was a dominant white culture, because people were saying, 'OK, this is going to be a Mexican culture in the next couple of decades, so what are we going to do with it? I've spent the past 20 years or so making strong arguments in favor of performance standards for the Hall of Fame and using advanced statistics to try to cut through some of the superficialities, and I think it's clear that when you when you look at Fernando Valenzuela, that he's one of numerous pitchers who fall into that What might have been territory, says Jay Jaffe, senior writer at FanGraphs and author of The Cooperstown Casebook: Who's in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Who Should Be In. He had a strong start to his career that was kind of done in by overwork and a leveling off performance-wise, and in that regard, it's hardly unique because we can talk about dozens of other Cy Young winners who never really got to that peak again.. Dodgers News: Julio Urias Talks About His Fandom of Fernando Valenzuela, Dodgers News: Julio Urias Feeds Off the Energy of the Crowd at Dodger Stadium, Dodgers News: Fernando Valenzuela Earns a Very Special Award at Dodger Stadium, The easy calls with great players like Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, The players that accumulate stats over long careers, but may never be considered the best of their generation, much like Don Sutton or Bert Blyleven, Players popular with fans and media, like a Phil Rizzuto. Im not saying that they should not have been elected, but Im saying that if they are in,then Fernando should be in too. ( marks those who were newly eligible since 2001. 20), manager Walter Alston (No. (Lou Sauritch/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) Within a few short weeks, Fernandomania was sweeping the nation. 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. He could do everything on a baseball field but run, former teammate and current Astros manager Dusty Baker says. 34 from their jersey rotation. They are culture heroes. He struggled at the beginning and Tommy Lasorda was almost ready to bring in Dave Goltz early, which would have probably put the Dodgers down 3-0 and history would be different. "Unheard of," Dodgers broadcaster Jaime Jerrin told the Times. I wore it like any other number. 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. 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. The city was celebrating its 200th anniversary and the Latino population was exploding. The 2022 Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame Inductees: Tony DeRiggi '04. People have always been very patient with me, Valenzuela, 60, says in Spanish one recent morning from his home in Los Angeles. His second home start on April 27 against the Giants was yet another shutout, his fourth in five starts. His favorite venue was Dodger Stadium and the nights Valenzuela pitched were magical. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Honorees have a permanent plaque on display at Dodger Stadium. One thing is certain: Valenzuela broke barriers. A total of 3272 individual votes were cast, an average of 6.60 per ballot. Valenzuela also was unflappable, a rarity for a player so young. S. First, the veterans committee will not vote him in, because his screwball embarrassed them for six seasons. Its not a pitch that organizations really teach anymore, says Dodgers broadcaster Orel Hershiser, Valenzuelas teammate from 1983 through 1990. That support was always there. [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]. Don Sutton, a Hall of Fame pitcher who was a stalwart of the Los Angeles Dodgers' rotation spanning an era from Sandy Koufax to Fernando Valenzuela, died Tuesday. Valenzuela had a strong 6 years plus had a huge impact, Tim Rogers 2080 ? You can make a case that there are a handful of modern pioneers that have helped open the door for baseball in a lot of different ways and should be full members of the Hall of Fame.. The Dodgers added Spanish-speaking ushers. I had a fastball and a curveball that was good but maybe, a screwball, a pitch that moved in the opposite direction of the curveball, could help, Valenzuela says. He could lasso anything.. Lalo and Mark Guerrero, father and son musicians, had a regional hit with their song, Fernando El ToroFernando The Bull. He was calm and quiet, but very confident and intelligent. You cannot like what happened at Chavez Ravine and still love the Dodgers, says Arellano, who also taught Chicano Studies at Cal State Fullerton. Three years later, Dodger Stadium opened on April 10, 1962, on the land. Your email address will not be published. 12 1 minute read. But he fondly recalls how Valenzuela's special season impacted baseball in Los Angeles and Mexican Americans. Fernando was the cover boy on the May 18, 1981, edition of Sports Illustrated, with "UNREAL!" He had a 118 ERA+, a 2.88 FIP with a 33.5 WAR. The screwball is basically a reverse curve where the pitcher uses the same tempo as his fastball. Valenzuela also had one of the more distinctive windups and deliveries of all time. But even Jaffe, a seasoned analyst who relies on hard numbers to make Hall of Fame cases, has a soft spot for Valenzuela. But he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for a 6-year span and a true Dodger legend. By comparison, Koufaxs peak seven-year WAR was 46. Dodgers News: Miguel Vargas Dealing With Soreness, Available to Hit Off The Bench, Dodgers in a Holding Pattern with Injured Daniel Hudson, No Updated Timetable For Now, Dodgers News: Miguel Rojas Out of Lineup Again on Tuesday Due to Soreness in Groin, Dodgers vs. Rockies: Miguel Vargas Held Out of Lineup One Day After Getting Hit on Hand, Dodgers News: Tony Gonsolin Found a Silver Lining in Timing of Injury, Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Not Concerned About Uneven Offensive Start Yet, Dodgers News: Roberts Hopes Miguel Vargas Avoided Injury Following Hit by Pitch, Dodgers Move Up in Week 2 MLB Power Rankings, James Outman Connected to Dodgers Legend Yasiel Puig After Big Night, Dodgers Score: Outman Triples Twice, Offense Finally Breaks Out, Vargas Injured, 3.9 million fans in attendance in 2015, 2.1 million were Latino, Dodgers News: Fernando Valenzuelas No 34 Will Be Retired This Season. The teams decades-long relationship with the Mexican and Mexican-American communities is complex. He led the MCL with 91 strikeouts. 32), Roy Campanella (No. He earned Mexicos Premio Nacional del Deporte, the countrys highest sports honor, last November. To lure the Dodgers across the country, the city of Los Angeles evicted local residents from the Chavez Ravine area, north of downtown, where the team planned to build a new stadium. Bobby Cox, Bud Selig,John Schuerholz, Bruce Sutter, Bill Mazeroski, and many others without the qualifications of Valenzuela are in the Hall of Fame. 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. Everything combined to give us those victories.. R. Richard Eddie Rommel Charley Root Al Rosen Schoolboy Rowe Pete Runnels Jimmy Ryan Johnny Sain Manny Sanguilln Ron Santo Hank Sauer Wally Schang Hal Schumacher George Scott Rip Sewell Bob Shawkey Urban Shocker Roy Sievers Curt Simmons Vern Stephens Riggs Stephenson Mel Stottlemyre Harry Stovey Jesse Tannehill Tony Taylor Johnny Temple Fred Tenney Bobby Thomson Mike Tiernan Joe Torre Cecil Travis Hal Trosky Virgil Trucks George Van Haltren Johnny Vander Meer Bobby Veach Mickey Vernon Dixie Walker Bucky Walters Lon Warneke Will White Cy Williams Ken R. Williams Maury Wills Wilbur Wood Glenn Wright Jimmy Wynn Rudy York, Gene Autry Buzzie Bavasi Samuel Breadon Charles Bronfman Gussie Busch George W. Bush Roger Craig Harry Dalton Bill Dinneen Charles Dressen Barney Dreyfuss Chub Feeney John Fetzer Charles O. Finley John Galbreath Larry Goetz Calvin Griffith Fred Haney Doug Harvey Garry Herrmann Whitey Herzog John Heydler Ralph Houk Bob Howsam Fred Hutchinson Ewing Kauffman Bowie Kuhn Frank Lane Billy Martin Gene Mauch Marvin Miller Danny Murtaugh Hank O'Day Walter O'Malley Steve O'Neill Paul Owens Steve Palermo Gabe Paul Joan Payson Babe Pinelli Bob Quinn Alfred Reach Beans Reardon Paul Richards Cy Rigler Bill Rigney Ben Shibe Charles Somers Billy Southworth George Stallings Bill Summers Cedric Tallis Chuck Tanner Birdie Tebbetts Patsy Tebeau Chris von der Ahe Lee Weyer Bill White Dick Williams Phil Wrigley. I was there when that girl ran on the field and kissed him. Before refuting the premise by citing his career numbers or the brevity of his peak, consider this: Bud Selig, former Major League Baseball commissioner, is a Hall of Famer. (John Cordes / National Baseball Hall of Fame Library) We then had Sandy Koufax, who became an icon for Eastern Europeans trying to assimilate into America right at that time. Thanks in advance. Follow him on Twitter @DavidVennMLB. Opening day of 1981 launched "Fernandomania," a phenomenon in Los Angeles and then the nation named after the Mexican-born pitcher. On opening day on April 8, 1981, scheduled starting pitcher Jerry Reuss suffered an injury while warming up. For road games, attendance increased by 5,000 to 10,000 for his starts. Fernando.. He changed our lives.. Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea ( Spanish pronunciation: [fenando alenswela], born November 1, 1960) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. I tell them, Look, for me, the affection and that the people recognize what I have accomplished is more important than being in a Hall of Fame. The Dodgers Spanish-language voice since 1959, Jarrn is without question worthy of his place in the broadcasters wing of the Hall of Fame. These Mexicans are just like you. 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. Valenzuela should be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Dodgers: The Hall of Fame Case for Fernando Valenzuela. [40] . When he came up in 1980, you saw there was a composure that he had, a poise that sometimes players have to work into. Valenzuela won his sixth start with a nine-inning effort in Montreal, though he was denied a complete game when the contest went to a 10th inning. It wasnt a dream come true because nobody could have dreamed it.. This page was last edited on 25 March 2023, at 02:41. Valenzuela also pitched 251 innings in 1987. This articleby Jos M. Alamillo tells his amazing story of how Fernando impacted him. Valenzuela was an All-Star in each of his first 6 seasons. 34 since he was released by the club in 1991, although the number is not officially retired. 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. I was assigned that number. He made five starts, two of which were games where the Dodgers faced elimination. The server is misbehaving. As Fernandomania was taking off, Mike Littwin, then a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, visitedthe pitcher's hometown. Maybe the Dodgers will come to their senses by then. Fernandos legacy to me is that of Cuban Minnie Mioso, another trailblazer, Thorn says. Nonetheless, Jarrn said, logically, the talent would have emerged sooner or later.. His family lived on a dirt road that was filled with potholes, he says. He's irreplaceable. It has sustained itself to the point where I really believe half the crowds at Dodger Stadium now are Latinos.. Yes, I totally agree that Fernando Valenzuela should be in the HALL OF FAME 100 percent. At that point, Valenzuela was 5-0 with a 0.20 ERA, and everyone wanted to know when Fernando was going to pitch again. My short interaction with Brian Kenny seemed to have reminded him. He cant walk five feet at Dodger Stadium without fans of all ages stopping him. From purely a fan perspective I cannot think of a player since Jackie Robinson that has had a generational draw like Valenzuela. Especially in L.A., this guy still inspires us. Valenzuela wasnt the first to throw the screwball. They had no telephone, so we surprised them. Walk-up sales increased from 8,000 to 12,000 fans on nights Valenzuela pitched. 24), Sandy Koufax (No. Fernando Valenzuela went on to pitch 11 years for the Dodgers (1980-1990). in bold letters across the top. 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. Sooner or later, it has to be properly recognized. They know his pitching delivery, the World Series win, his big glasses and all that. Valenzuela is not the first Mexican or Mexican-American big leaguer in baseball. Todays Fernando is a fun-loving grandfather with a dry sense of humor and perfect comedic timing. Valenzuela, the National League's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game as a rookie, finished the strike-shortened 1981 season with a 13-7 won-loss record and a 2.48 ERA, one of the best in the big leagues. He won 141 games (8th in franchise history). If theres someone [else] that can wear it, thats no problem. My dad couldn wait to watch Los Doyers and I could not wait to watch the game with him regardless of who was playing for the Dodgers all because of Fernando Valenzuela. Jesse Sanchez, who has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2001, is a national reporter based in Phoenix. ! 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. He has not yet appeared in any of the special era ballots, but that is his best hope. During that moment, as still photographs showed, Valenzuelas eyes rolled back into his head. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. There are certain guys who, for me, impacted the game way beyond any kind of statistical analysis or the standard criteria that most voters use. In 1981, Fernando Valenzuela won Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. Fernando Valenzuela became a star pitcher with the Dodgers in 1981, igniting Fernandomania and giving Mexican Americans a hero still revered today.

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