Fernando Valenzuela, one of the most memorable Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers of all-time, has passed away at the age of 63. Valenzuela pitched 17 seasons in the Major Leagues, primarily with the Dodgers. He was with the Dodgers from 1980 to 1990, before one season with the California Angels in 1991, one season with the Baltimore Orioles in 1993, one season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1994, a return to southern California for three seasons with the San Diego Padres from 1995 to 1997, and five games with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997.
Made Major League Baseball history at an early age
Valenzuela, a native of Navajoa, Mexico made the MLB record books at age 20. In the 1981 Major League Baseball season, he became the first and only player ever to win the National League Cy Young Award and National League Rookie of the Year in the same season. The six-time All-Star posted a record of 13 wins and seven losses with an earned run average of 2.48. Valenzuela led the Major Leagues with 180 strikeouts and eight shutouts, and the National League with 11 complete games.
Single Season Leader
After the 1981 season, Valenzuela led the National League in two more categories. They include wins (21 in 1986), and complete games (20 in 1986 and 12 in 1987).
Career Statistics
In 453 regular season games, Valenzuela had a record of 173 wins and 153 losses with an earned run average of 3.54. In 2930 innings pitched, Valenzuela had 113 complete games, 31 shutouts, two saves, and 2074 strikeouts, and gave up 2718 hits, 1154 earned runs, 226 home runs, and 1151 walks, to go along with a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.32. Valenzuela’s saves came in a 6-4 Dodgers win over the San Diego Padres on September 27, 1980, and in a 2-1 Dodgers win over the San Francisco Giants on October 1, 1988.
Other Accolades
Twice Valenzuela won the World Series with the Dodgers. The first time came in 1981 and the second time came in 1988. Also with the Dodgers, Valenzuela pitched a no-hitter, which came on June 29, 1990 in a 6-0 Dodgers win over the St. Louis Cardinals. On August 11, 2023, the Dodgers retired Fernando Valenzuela’s number 34.
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