The Dodgers announced on Tuesday night that legendary pitcher and broadcaster Fernando Valenzuela passed away at the age of 63.
On Oct. 2, Valenzuela stepped away from the broadcast booth to focus on his health. The Dodgers released a statement at the time saying, “He and his family appreciate the love and support of fans as he aims to return for the 2025 season…”
The news comes days before the Dodgers play in the World Series.
Valenzuela played with the Dodgers for 10 years and won a championship with Los Angeles during his stellar rookie campaign in 1981. That season, dubbed “Fernandomania,” saw Valenzuela become the first player ever to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the Cy Young in the same year.
Through the first eight games of his career, Valenzuela was the best pitcher in baseball. Valenzuela threw a complete game in all eight of those games and had a minuscule 0.50 ERA with 68 strikeouts.
Valenzuela was a fan favorite throughout his time as a Dodger. He was especially popular with the Latino community in Los Angeles and around the world. Fans gave him the nickname El Toro, which means “The Bull.”
Valenzuela would bounce around five more teams after leaving the Dodgers before retiring in 1997. He then returned to the Dodgers, this time in the broadcast booth for the team’s Spanish coverage.
El Toro is so crucial to Dodgers history that in 2023, the team officially retired his number and added him to the Ring of Honor. The Dodgers broke a long-time tradition of only retiring numbers of players who were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Those who knew Valenzuela have released statements expressing their sadness and grief.
Jaime Jarrin, who worked alongside Valenzuela on the broadcast, called it “a crushing blow.”
“He meant so much to the Latino fan base,” Jarrin said. “People who came here from Latin America didn’t care about baseball. But they became fans of Fernando and, because of him, baseball fans.”
Commissioner Rob Manfred said that MLB will honor Valenzuela during the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
