Among 85 eligible voters, 79 cast ballots so 60 votes were the minimum to elect a candidate. Which isnt to say Selig isnt deserving. If you click on the tweet at the top of the article you can see how much Fernando meant to them and their families. ( marks those newly eligible since 2001 (eight). Fernando had three great years and hung around-not enough. / George Rose/Getty Images, Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms, https://www.history.com/news/fernando-valenzuela-fernandomania-los-angeles-dodgers, When 20-Year-Old Rookie Fernando Valenzuela Captivated LAand Major League Baseball. The field included four Rookies of the Year (Murray, Valenzuela, Vince Coleman and Todd Worrell), as well as one MVP (Sandberg) and two Cy Young Award winners (Valenzuela and Mark Davis). Forty years ago, Fernando Valenzuela pitched himself out of rural Mexico and into the heart of one of the worlds most famous cities with a magical season in 1981 that started with a perfect 8-0 record and launched a movement. To lure the Dodgers across the country, the city of Los Angeles evicted local residents from the Chavez Ravine area, north of downtown, where the team planned to build a new stadium. Hernandez grew up in South Pasadena and graduated from UCLA in 2002, after which he worked at the San Jose Mercury News for five years. He expanded the games customer base. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images The children of Valenzuelas fans, and now even their children, have become Dodgers fans. But how do we honor all the many great other players? S. First, the veterans committee will not vote him in, because his screwball embarrassed them for six seasons. In 2007, Gwynn was inducted into the Hall of Fame after receiving 532 of 545 votes -- the 10th-highest total in MLB history. He attends every game, but he has maintained his laid-back style, staying put in the press box during pregame batting practice to keep from being a distraction. One of the biggest problems is that the East Coast heavy media personnel have forgotten about the impact he had and his greatness. The only left-handed pitchers in the Hall of Fame with an ERA as high as Valenzuelas are Herb Pennock (3.60), whose career began in 1912, and Tom Glavine (3.54), who pitched through the steroid era. I think after that, there were more opportunities. "Fernando helped get the Dodgers back on track (with fans)," he says. Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela delivers during a win over the Philadelphia Phillies on May 23, 1984. Later that summer, Valenzuela attended a state luncheon at the White House with President Ronald Reagan. The first time he surrendered a home run, to Montreals Chris Speier, he was unfazed. The confidence that we had in him, along with what Tommy and the coaching staff had in him was very real and we just knew that, somehow, he was going to get it done.. Large homemade 'Viva Fernando' signs in the bleachers were all the rage. 34 since he was released by the club in 1991, although the number is not officially retired. In addition to calling games, Jarrn served as Valenzuelas interpreter at news conferences, which gained him exposure in other markets and, by extension, the electorate of the Hall of Fames Ford C. Frick Award. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, Elliott: Pissed off Kings must improve in key areas to break Oilers playoff stranglehold, Shohei Ohtanis seventh home run of the season helps Angels avoid sweep, Florida Panthers upset record-setting Boston Bruins in Game 7 OT thriller, Lakers vs. Warriors: What scouts expect in playoff series, School is in session as Sparks begin training camp. Put Fernando in the hall of fame. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. His teammates were so captivated, says Littwin, who wrote many Valenzuela-related stories in 1981. If a pitcher had it or looked like he could have it, the Dodgers were a little bit more experimental in the pitching area back then. It was immediate, and it was powerful. That performance was followed by another shutout against the Mets in New York and a complete-game win against the Expos at Dodger Stadium. Valenzuela had never started a Major League game when he got the call on Opening Day 1981. If you have any questions please feel free to email Athletic Director Jesse Irvin or call 240-740-6415 anytime. He made five starts, two of which were games where the Dodgers faced elimination. His screwgi wad unique, his defense won him gold gloves his hitting silver bats. I was there when that girl ran on the field and kissed him. Valenzuelas feats lured members of all communities in Los Angeles to the ballpark, including a few unlikely fans: those displaced by the construction of Dodger Stadium. Evidently the writers passed over one man selected by the Hall of Famers, for there were 26 players on the final ballot. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We will never share your email with anyone, A fan of the Dodgers since 1973 since I got my first baseball cards while living in Long Beach. If Selig hadnt supported the home run surge of the late 1990s by looking the other way when players started injecting themselves with steroids, who knows whether baseball would have ever recovered from its last work stoppage? Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea ( Spanish pronunciation: [fenando alenswela], born November 1, 1960) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela had a career record of 173 wins and 153 losses.
