Fernandomania Forever: Dodgers Mourn 6x All-Star Fernando Valenzuela’s Tragic Demise At 63

The Fernandomania is over. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Dodgers announced 6x All-Star and cultural icon Fernando Valenzuela passing away at 63. It’s a major blow to a team that’s just getting ready to play another World Series.; the same Fall Classic that Valenzuela won in his rookie year in 1981 and what a year that was. That was the year the term “Fernandomania” was created and Valenzuela’s legend was born.

The summer of 1981 had a different air to it. Though fans weren’t sure why they knew something different would happen, that’s when Fernando Valenzuela exploded on the scene. The young man won the Cy Young Award that year, he also won the Rookie of the Year award. Then, Valenzuela led the Dodgers to a World Series win. That was perhaps one of, if not the, greatest rookie years baseball has ever seen. But more than his on-field impact, it was Valenzuela’s off-field popularity that turned him into an absolute icon.

“On behalf of the Dodger organization, we profoundly mourn the passing of Fernando. He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten’s statement read. Later the Blue Crew posted a tribute video for Fernando Valenzuela that refreshed fans on his huge impact on the Latin world as a whole. Rarely has any player seen the kind of peak Valenzuela had, especially during that historic 1981 season.

Interestingly, Fernando Valenzuela also won two Silver Slugger awards (1981 and 1983). Imagine that, Valenzuela wasn’t just a great pitcher but also an accomplished hitter. He was often used as a pinch hitter by his managers but consistent shoulder issues affected his longevity. After getting released by Dodgers in the 90s, Valenzuela played in the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals. However, he was just a shadow of his former self by then; Valenzuela retired from baseball in 1997, but his journey hadn’t ended yet.

Baseball world remembers the legendary Fernando Valenzuela 

“Fernando was an outstanding ambassador for baseball,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said. “He consistently supported the growth of the game through the World Baseball Classic and at MLB events across his home country.” Later Manfred announced that the league will honor Valenzuela’s memory during the upcoming World Series at Dodger Stadium. That’s important, simply because, Valenzuela’s popularity in the 80s was unlike anything Dodgers had seen in a long time.

According to Jamie Jarrin, Valenzuela’s then-interpreter, the ace’s mere presence elevated the radio ratings in the 80s. The normal ratings were 3.4 but according to Jarrin, “at KTNQ we’d get a rating of 8.6. Never had a radio station done that before. It was because of Fernando, Fernandomania, and the Dodgers.” That was the kind of grip that Valenzuela had on the baseball world.  So, naturally, while Valenzuela’s playing career with the Los Angeles Dodgers ended in 1990, he was back with the team in 2003 albeit in a different capacity.

Fernando Valenzuela was appointed as Dodgers’ broadcaster and worked in that capacity till October of 2024. Even there he proved to be a memorable figure and became a highly loved broadcaster within the Dodgers fanbase. And now at 63, Fernandomania has had an untimely end. Rest in Piece, Fernando – Fernandomania lives on in every fan’s memory.