Los Angeles celebrated its first World Series parade in more than three decades on the birthday of Fernando Valenzuela, the legendary Dodger known as “El Toro.”
In the 1980s, the left-handed pitcher inspired what became known as “Fernandomania” as he rose to fame, starting with an award-winning rookie season that ended with a World Series title in 1981. It was the last time the Dodgers and Yankees faced each other in the Fall Classic.
Just three days before the start of this year’s World Series, Valenzuela passed away at the age of 63.
“Number 34 is here celebrating with us,” Dodgers announcer Joe Davis told the sold-out crowd at Dodger Stadium at the start of the ceremony commemorating the World Series victory. “Let’s celebrate a cultural and baseball icon.”
LOS ANGELES, CA – 1980: Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela #34 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws during an MLB game circa 1980 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)/LOS ANGELES, CA
One fan attending Friday’s parade wore Valenzuela’s #34 jersey, decorated with a tribute to his debut in 1981, when he became the only Major League player to win the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year. Jerry, a Tijuana native, said he was still living in Mexico when he watched Valenzuela’s first game. He wore the jersey during LA’s last World Series parade, in 1988.
“It’s been 36 years since we came back and did it again, so it’s a special day, not just for us, but for Fernando Valenzuela and for the entire Dodger nation,” he said.
A native of Etchohuaquila, Sonora, Mexico, Valenzuela is widely credited with increasing the sport’s popularity among Latinos. “He created more baseball fans and Dodger fans than any other player,” said Jaime Jarrín, the Dodgers broadcaster who called games from 1959 to 2022. said prior to Valenzuela’s retirement last year. “Because of this boy, people have fallen in love with baseball. Especially within the Mexican community.”
During the parade, Dodgers fan Vincent Edward Rodriguez held up a 1981 Kellogg’s Corn Flakes box with Valenzuela’s photo on it, which he has held for decades. “It was right after the first World Series he was in,” said Rodriguez, who said he plans to attend the unveiling of a mural of Valenzuela in Boyle Heights, one of many painted in L.A. in the days after his death.
Tributes to the player known for his signature pitching style and brutal fuckball were on display during Friday’s parade and championship ceremony at Dodger Stadium, where a mural of him was erected just before World Series Game 1.
The opening match featured a mariachi performance in tribute to him, while highlights of his LA career were broadcast on a video board. His wife and family members stood on the field for a moment of silence in his memory.
During Valenzuela’s famous rookie season, before the Dodgers even went to the World Series, Valenzuela was invited to the White House to meet with President Ronald Reagan and Mexican President José López Portillo, where he signed a baseball for Reagan. The June 1981 meeting was followed a few years later by the passage of a historic immigration law.
“At the time, no meaningful U.S. immigration law had been passed in 30 years,” the Los Angeles Times reports. But in 1986, the Reagan White House helped pass the Immigration and Control Act, which granted amnesty to many undocumented immigrants. Many credit the Fernando Factor for helping raise the president’s awareness of the issue. “
The Los Angeles City Council recently named November 1, his birthday, “Fernando Valenzuela Day.”
