On October 1, 2024, it was announced that Valenzuela had been hospitalized for an undisclosed illness. He died on October 22, 2024, at the age of 63, two days after the Dodgers clinched the National League pennant. [Reply]
There are so many incredible things about Fernando Valenzuela and his career, but the most mind-blowing may be him calling his shot on his only no hitter in 1990. pic.twitter.com/79S3dDLssX
I believe he was on a Hall of Fame track before he broke down.
He'll always be remembered for 1981, but he was an ace during a two-year span in 1985-86, only being outmatched in the NL by Doc Gooden. In the 1986 All-Star Game in Houston, he struck out five straight batters like Carl Hubbell famously did in the 1930s.
And he was the American dream. The youngest of 12 children that grew up on a farm in Mexico. [Reply]
My favorite story about Fernando was when he first came up to the show, he couldn’t speak English and Tommy Lasorda would come to the mound. The other players taught him to say “Take a hike fatso”. [Reply]