by Cary Osborne
In the later years of Fernando Valenzuela’s life, he liked to be in the background.
The greatest Mexican-born pitcher in Major League history, Dodger broadcaster and one of the most famous players in Dodger franchise history would rarely go on the field and would almost never interact with current Dodger players. He would always take the “I don’t want to bother people” approach. He would arrive at Dodger Stadium hours before games then find a place in the Vin Scully Pressbox dining room. He’d settle in, usually alone, place his headphones in his ears and glue his eyes to his phone.
But this was also the same man, that if you were close enough to him, would say: “Why haven’t you called me?” He’s the same man who would time his wry humor so perfectly that he would both poke fun at you and make you laugh in the same moment.
He had a go-to joke.
“What’s up Fernando?” one would ask.
Then, matter of fact, he would reply: “The sky.”
Then you’d laugh. And he’d say: “What? I’m not lying.”
As private, shy and quiet as he was, Fernando loved people.
It must’ve been difficult for him that everywhere he went people would want a picture or an autograph.
But if you wanted nothing from him, he rewarded you with friendship.
If you were Sandy Koufax or Mike Scioscia or someone who worked at Dodger Stadium, he would reward you with friendship.
But boy, would he light up when he would see Scioscia or Koufax or Dusty Baker — the latter on Alumni Weekend.
That weekend, he sat in a room with fellow legendary Dodgers waiting to go on field for the Grand Alumni Reunion ceremony. He sat on a chair near the back of the room.
Shy and quiet, he didn’t want to intrude on anyone’s conversation. Then Baker sat next to him, and his smile couldn’t be missed.
There was one place where Fernando was never shy. It was on the mound of a Major League field.
Legend of Dodger Baseball Manny Mota once told a story about when Fernando was 20 years old. Fernando was set to pitch the deciding Game 5 of the 1981 National League Championship Series in Montreal and the game was postponed due to snow. Mota went to dinner with Fernando that night and the young pitcher said, “Nobody can save Montreal tomorrow. Not even the snow is going to save them because I’m going to beat Montreal tomorrow.”
He and the Dodgers did, and then went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series.
“You get nervous only when you don’t know what you have,” Fernando said last year. “In the game, I had to know what I had, what I could do. It’s that simple. If you go into the game and (a) pitch isn’t working, you ask: ‘(Now) what am I going to do?’ That’s when you start thinking about the game. That’s not being nervous. It’s fun. It’s a game.”
A month before he had his №34 retired by the Dodgers, Fernando said he wasn’t nervous about the ceremony. He rarely expressed joy for himself about the honor. Instead, he often talked about the joy it would bring others.
“I’m happy for the people because they wanted this number retired,” he said.
But the day of, he embraced the moments — from the city of Los Angeles declaring Aug. 11, 2023, Fernando Valenzuela Day in a ceremony at City Hall to the pregame press conference to the on-field ceremony.
He was happy. His family — his wife Linda, four children (Fernando Jr., Ricky, Linda and Maria) and grandkids were all proud to see his №34 finally be in its rightful place on the Ring of Honor at Dodger Stadium.
Fernando’s hard exterior cracked a little from then on, and he became more approachable in the days, weeks, months and year after. He desired more conversation and felt if he overstayed, he would exit.
“I see you’re busy,” he’d say.
Fernando Valenzuela didn’t talk about any health issues. He was at Dodger Stadium nearly every home game this season. Maybe a lot of his friends were too naïve to recognize that he was ill.
Or maybe they didn’t want to believe it.
He had an aura and spirit that felt immortal.
It was. And it is.
Fernando and Fernandomania were unlike anything ever seen, heard or felt at Dodger Stadium.
In July 2023, Fernando was asked how he should be remembered. The intent of the question was to get his opinion on how people should remember him as a pitcher and the impact he made.
But his answer is now part of his legacy.
“I don’t know,” he said, uncomfortable with the question. “Maybe as a person who liked to give 100% in anything I do.”
Fernando Valenzuela the person and the pitcher was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.