Los Angeles Dodgers legendary pitcher-turned-broadcaster Fernando Valenzuela has reportedly left the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcast group indefinitely, per a report from Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group.
The Dodgers declined to offer a cause for Valenzuela’s absence and he's not more likely to return for the playoff broadcasts.
Valenzuela burst onto the scene in 1981. His rookie marketing campaign was not like some other and set town of Los Angeles and baseball ablaze with mania.
Fernando Valenzuela’s unbelievable season, referred to as “Fernandomania,” noticed him dominate the mound and make historical past. In a single yr, he achieved one thing nobody had finished earlier than: successful each the National League Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year honors.
But his accomplishments didn’t cease there. Valenzuela performed an important position in main the Los Angeles Dodgers to a World Series victory, defeating the New York Yankees in six video games and including a championship ring to his assortment.
Even after hanging up his cleats, Valenzuela’s title nonetheless pulls followers in. The Dodgers even gave him his personal bobblehead to honor his legacy. On July 29, 2001, followers at Dodger Stadium for the sport in opposition to the Colorado Rockies received to relive a few of that “Fernandomania” magic.
As a part of a tribute collection for “Dodger Greats,” Valenzuela joined legends like Tommy Lasorda and Kirk Gibson in getting the bobblehead therapy. What made it much more particular was that it marked 20 years since Fernandomania first took off, exhibiting simply how a lot of an affect Valenzuela nonetheless has on the Dodgers and their followers.
On Aug. 11, 2023, the Dodgers made Valenzuela’s legacy official by retiring his No. 34, kicking off a particular three-day celebration at Dodger Stadium known as “Fernandomania” weekend.
Valenzuela grew to become simply the twelfth participant in group historical past to have his quantity retired. On high of that, he was additionally inducted into the Dodger Stadium Ring of Honor, making him the 14th individual to affix that unique group.
It’s now grown to fifteen with the addition of Walter O’Malley however Valenzuela’s legacy with the Dodgers simply retains rising, and this celebration was one other approach to present the lasting affect he’s had on the franchise.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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