Forty years later, he still has the memento. 173153 and a 3.54 earned run averagethose are HOF numbers? Ive always been asked what the situation is, with Cooperstown and all that, Valenzuela says. ', So, Fernando in many ways, even though he never had to say it, he was a bridge to let Americans know that, Hey, its going to be OK. 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. Only three players led by Gil Hodges (61%) tallied more than fifty percent support. Don't miss any of the Dodgers latest News, Rumors, and Exclusive Offers! Meanwhile, six Hall of Fame members independently selected five nominated players, making 25 to 30 players. After struggling with injuries he came back and threw his only no-hitter in 1990. When we see managers, commissioners, and front office personnel elected to the Hall of Fame with sketchy contributions to the game, and players like Fernando Valenzuela are not, then something is wrong. Reflecting on his rookie season, Valenzuela spoke of the importance of the emergency start he made on opening day. How many strikeouts did Fernando Valenzuela have? In 1981, Fernando Valenzuela won Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. But they could not have been sweeter. Follow him on Twitter @DavidVennMLB. In his next seven starts, Valenzuela completed every game, a rarity. Valenzuela still makes an interesting case for the Hall of Fame. Valenzuela had a solid career, finishing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997. These Mexicans are just like you. Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson threw a fadeaway in the early 1900s, and Carl Hubbell, who pitched for 16 seasons starting in 1928, threw a similar pitch. On the days Valenzuela pitched, the Dodgers played Mexican folk music over the public address system and prepared Mexican cuisine in the media dining room. He could lasso anything.. Valenzuela also had one of the more distinctive windups and deliveries of all time. We had Mexican big leaguers in the 1930s, but what made Fernando different was the peculiar circumstances by which the Brooklyn Dodgers entered Los Angeles and what he meant to the people there.. Not necessarily looking for HOFers. The legendary movement from 40 years ago has made him an immortal. The 13 candidates who received less than 5% of the vote, thus becoming ineligible for future BBWAA consideration, are indicated with an asterisk (*). The ratings for the Dodgers Spanish language broadcasts more than doubled when he pitched. Among 85 eligible voters, 81 cast ballots so 61 votes were the minimum to elect a candidate. There have been some rumblings about that, right? But Arellano, who for years thought Valenzuela didn't merit Hall of Fame consideration, believes otherwise. The ballot consisted of 33 players; 496 ballots were cast, with 372 votes required for election. In the clubhouse, Valenzuela showed his youth and flashed glimpses of his playful personality. The accolades are flattering, but Valenzuela downplays his accomplishments, and hes certainly not going to campaign for recognition. Follow her on Twitter @NathalieMLB. You cannot like what happened at Chavez Ravine and still love the Dodgers, says Arellano, who also taught Chicano Studies at Cal State Fullerton. After posting league-leading totals in starts, shutouts, innings pitched and strikeouts that would eventually earn him Cy Young and Rookie of the Year honors, Valenzuela continued to make his mark in the 1981 postseason. 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. He worked 18 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer and four years at ESPN. Fernando Valenzuela had 2,074 strikeouts over his career. 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 . There were so many interview requests for Fernando that the pitcher was forced to hold news conferences with Jarrn by his side before every home start and in jam-packed clubhouses on the first day in every city the team visited. Players elected to the Hall of Fame fall into different categories: No matter why or how they got in, they are in the Hall of Fame. By mid-May, he was 8-0 with an earned run average of 0.50. Kellogg's Corn Flakes put him on a box of cereal. Fernando Valenzuela played 17 seasons. Hernandez grew up in South Pasadena and graduated from UCLA in 2002, after which he worked at the San Jose Mercury News for five years. 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. One thing is certain: Valenzuela broke barriers. It was a cultural phenomenon that galvanized a minority community. He led the MCL with 91 strikeouts. In 10 games as a relief pitcher, he allowed zero earned runs. Phil Sheridan spent more than 30 years reporting and writing on sports for Philadelphia-area newspapers. For some, his middling 173-153 won-loss record makes him an unworthy Hall of Fame candidate. "I've never seen anything like it," broadcaster Jaime Jarrn told Sports Illustrated. We then had Sandy Koufax, who became an icon for Eastern Europeans trying to assimilate into America right at that time. This season, Valenzuela is calling games inside the Dodgers' Spanish radio booth alongside Hall of Fame broadcaster Jaime Jarrn, who hails from Ecuador and once served as the pitchers personal interpreter during 1981s Fernandomania. He just never generated enough support, Spencer says. Not elected to 2023. It was a historic run that almost didnt happen. It was beyond imagining that Fernando could have made it from this town. In 2007, Gwynn was inducted into the Hall of Fame after receiving 532 of 545 votes -- the 10th-highest total in MLB history. That helps me get through all those innings. By then, Fernandomania was in full swing. Walk-up sales increased from 8,000 to 12,000 fans on nights Valenzuela pitched. I really think theres a home for Fernando in the Hall," says the longtime sportswriter. He never complained about aches and pains, a trait that also hurt any potential candidacy. Fernando, who was not very fast with his fastball, piled up the strikeouts because of the screwball, and it was a hard screwball. Especially in L.A., this guy still inspires us. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. In a 2-0 opening-day victory over the Houston Astros, Valenzuela pitched a complete game. 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. The Dodgers were one of the first teams to cater to Spanish speakers with Spanish broadcasts. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1991 and 1993 to 1997. Players you saw at the end of their careers who were surprisingly good - posted in Trivia, Questions, Advice: Im looking for guys who surprised you how good they were once you were old enough to go back and look at their numbers. Arduino rgb led module Rc kunstflug torquene. In addition to inspiring the multiple generations of Latin American players, Valenzuela created multiple generations of Mexican fans. His family lived on a dirt road that was filled with potholes, he says. But even he acknowledged he was elected in part because of Valenzuela. It was the fifth game of Valenzuelas eight-game winning streak. Among 85 eligible voters, 79 cast ballots so 60 votes were the minimum to elect a candidate. The children of Valenzuelas fans, and now even their children, have become Dodgers fans. My short interaction with Brian Kenny seemed to have reminded him. 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.. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to vote. Long before we got here, they established a policy, which I agree with, and that is that we'll just use Hall of Fame people for retired numbers. Week Team League; 04/11/1981: Los Angeles Dodgers: NL: 09/05/1981: Los Angeles Dodgers Sheriffs deputies literally dragged Mexican Americans out of their Chavez Ravine homes to clear the land on which Dodger Stadium was later built. David Venn is the executive editor of LasMayores.com, MLBs official Spanish-language website. Its not a pitch that organizations really teach anymore, says Dodgers broadcaster Orel Hershiser, Valenzuelas teammate from 1983 through 1990. But, hey, the 50-year anniversary of Fernandomania is only a decade away. The Dodgers Spanish-language voice since 1959, Jarrn is without question worthy of his place in the broadcasters wing of the Hall of Fame. He was a prankster and impressed his teammates with another skill nobody expected. So for me a guy like Dave Parker who I only remembered from his last few years on the As. All three were complete-game wins, including shutouts against the Padres and Astros. I think at that point that we were in the playoffs and the World Series, he knew me and the way I liked to pitch, Valenzuela says. Overuse, along with throwing a screwball, were probably the main culprits of his shortened career. 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. Sports Celebrating the legacy of Fernandomania 40 years later April 8, 2021 Before refuting the premise by. After the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn following the 1957 season, Los Angeles owner Walter OMalley believed it was vital to build good relationships with the local communities. And in the ultimate sign of fame and ubiquity, he became recognized by his first name only. Since when? People in U.S. soccer circles have spent decades looking for a Mexican American star and the best they have come up with is, who, Herculez Gomez? 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. He made everybody feel bigger and welcome. He was unbelievable with the lasso, says former Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia, Valenzuelas batterymate. The problem is, many of those folks also vote on candidates for the Hall of Fame, or write articles that influence HOF voting. When its good, its incredible, and when executed perfectly, youll never forget it. Its almost always easier for a lefty pitcher to throw those kinds of pitches.. He is part of a group of players once considered outsiders and that changed the games landscape upon their entry. 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. On opening day on April 8, 1981, scheduled starting pitcher Jerry Reuss suffered an injury while warming up. Valenzuela is a member of the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame, Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame and the California Sports Hall of Fame. He was a breath of fresh air as a youngster with a mans knowledge on how to play the game.. Hes a third generation Dodgers fan whose love for the team can be traced back to his Brooklyn-born grandfather. I cant remember one player who captured the fantasy of the fans and the media the way Fernando did. For some, his middling 173-153 won-loss record makes him an unworthy Hall of Fame candidate. Im not going to speculate, but it is safe to say that he could have averaged 15 wins per season up until 1996, cementing his bid to the hall of fame. They would vote by mail using "ballots and supporting material -- prepared by the Hall of Fame". Fernando Valenzuela is the only player ever so far to win a Cy Young Award and a Rookie of the Year Award in the same season. Former Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela throws a ceremonial first pitch before the MLB All-Star Game last summer at Dodger Stadium. 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. Back in his home country, the Mexican Baseball League -- Liga Mexicana de Beisbol -- retired Valenzuelas No. If theres someone [else] that can wear it, thats no problem. What Fernandomania did for the Dodgers was build generation after generation of Mexican-American fans, says John Thorn, the official historian of MLB. / George Rose/Getty Images, Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms, https://www.history.com/news/fernando-valenzuela-fernandomania-los-angeles-dodgers, When 20-Year-Old Rookie Fernando Valenzuela Captivated LAand Major League Baseball. He still moves the needle. And ever since his induction into the Hall of Fame, his 1981 Donruss rookie card has enjoyed a nice bump in value. A lot of people appreciate what I tried to do and that is something Ill always remember. Forty years later, there are still memories.. We strive for accuracy and fairness. In his 1986 All-Star appearance, he tied Carl Hubbell by striking out 5 in a row. The audience that was won over by Valenzuela remains. NEW YORK -- Eddie Murray, Lee Smith, Ryne Sandberg and Fernando Valenzuela are among 17 players on baseball's Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year. Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated here with a dagger ().

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