The world of sports has been hit with a wave of sadness as the legendary former Dodgers pitcher, Fernando Valenzuela, has passed away at just 63. The man who sparked “Fernandomania” left a legacy that transcended beyond baseball, touching fans and athletes across the globe. His death has sent ripples far and wide, and it’s not just baseball fans feeling the loss—Valenzuela’s impact reached across all sports. Tennis, too, has joined in mourning, with none other than the legendary Billie Jean King sharing her grief.

It was on Tuesday when the news about the demise of the MLB legend came to light after Dodgers’ president Stan Kasten paid tribute to Valenzuela. “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,” the statement read. Since then, several renowned faces from different sports backgrounds, have joined the fray in expressing a similar grief, with King being one of them. 

Taking to X on October 23, the 80-year-old joined the MLB fans in mourning the demise of Valenzuela. “Sending our condolences to the family and friends of Dodgers legend, Fernando Valenzuela. May he rest in peace,” she wrote on the microblogging platform. For the unversed, King’s association with the Los Angeles Dodgers is not new. 

The tennis veteran and her partner, Ilana Kloss, took an undisclosed stake in the Dodgers at the invitation of owner Mark Walter in 2018. King also revealed previously that she and her brother Randy Moffitt “grew up bleeding Dodger blue,” in California. Billie Jean King has also participated in several MLB events in the past like the MLB Opening Day in March this year. She even shared some pictures from the event on Instagram captioning, “It’s @mlb Opening Day, and we are so excited to be in LA watching the @dodgers.” 

Earlier, the MLB commissioner Rob Manfred also expressed grief on Valenzuela’s demise and regarded him as  “an outstanding ambassador for baseball.” He also highlighted the legendary player’s role in bringing pace to the growth of the sport and announced that the league will honor Valenzuela during the upcoming World Series at Dodger Stadium. He was joined by former pitcher Orel Hershiser who while talking about Valenzuela, said, “He created love — love for the game, love for the team, love for everything.” And the sorrow was inevitable given the legacy that Valenzuela had left behind.

Fernando Valenzuela’s legacy extended far beyond the fields

Fernando Valenzuela started establishing himself in 1981 and gave the baseball world one of the most sensational ‘rookie’ seasons. The young man won the Cy Young Award that year besides bagging the Rookie of the Year award. He also led the Dodgers to a World Series win. Fernando Valenzuela went on to win two Silver Slugger awards before eventually retiring from the sports in 1997. But his legacy and records were not just limited to the baseball field. 

Valenzuela’s ace presence elevated the radio ratings during his playing career, as claimed by Jamie Jarrin, his then-interpreter. Speaking after the demise of the legend, Jarrin said, “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.” In case you didn’t know, this number normally ranged around 3.4 back then. It was for this popularity that the player was soon pulled back into the team, although in a different role. 

It was in 2003 the former player was appointed as Dodgers’ broadcaster and worked in that capacity till October of 2024. While Fernando Valenzuela has left for his heavenly abode, his fandom continues to exist, and will probably remain forever!