Dodgers to retire Valenzuela’s No. 34
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers introduced Saturday that one of the crucial enduring and widespread gamers in Dodger historical past, left-handed pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, could have his quantity “34” retired this summer time throughout a particular three-day celebration. The announcement was made earlier immediately in the course of the Dodgers’ 2023 FanFest, offered by Budweiser.
“Fernandomania” weekend will happen August 11-13 when the Dodgers host the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. The festivities will kick off with the Ring of Honor ceremony on Friday Night, a collector’s version bobblehead on Saturday night time and a reproduction Valenzuela 1981 World Series ring on Sunday. There shall be many different enjoyable and thrilling parts deliberate for all the weekend which shall be introduced within the coming weeks.
Valenzuela was a member of two World Series championship groups, received the 1981 Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards, was chosen to 6 All-Star groups and even received two Silver Slugger Awards (1981, 1983) throughout his 11 years with the Dodgers from 1980-90.
“To be a part of the group that includes so many legends is a great honor,” mentioned Fernando Valenzuela. “But also for the fans — the support they’ve given me as a player and working for the Dodgers, this is also for them. I’m happy for all the fans and all the people who have followed my career. They’re going to be very excited to know that my No. 34 is being retired.”
Valenzuela’s quantity “34” will take its place amongst these beforehand displayed on the left discipline membership degree—Pee Wee Reese (#1), Tommy Lasorda (#2), Duke Snider (#4), Gil Hodges (#14). Jim Gilliam (#19), Don Sutton (#20), Walter Alston (#24), Sandy Koufax (#32), Roy Campanella (#39), Jackie Robinson (#42), Don Drysdale (#53) and Hall of Fame broadcasters Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrín.
“I am incredibly happy that number 34 for the Los Angeles Dodgers will be retired forever,” mentioned Stan Kasten, Dodger President & CEO. “The one question that I continuously get asked, more than anything else, is about retiring Fernando Valenzuela’s number. The citywide call by our fans to honor him is truly remarkable. What he accomplished during his playing career, not only on the field but in the community, is extraordinary. He truly lit up the imaginations of baseball fans everywhere. It’s hard to envision a player having a greater impact on a fan base then the one Fernando has had.”
Valenzuela’s exceptional profession positioned him among the many all-time L.A. Dodger leaders in wins (141, 6th), strikeouts (1,759, 5th), innings (2348.2, 4th), begins (320, 4th), full video games (107, 4th) and shutouts (29, 5th). He is greatest remembered for bursting onto the scene with a shutout of the Astros on Opening Day 1981. That sudden outing was made doable when an injured Jerry Reuss couldn’t reply the bell and commenced a run of eight consecutive victories, together with 5 shutouts and a streak of 35 straight scoreless innings. This instantly gave rise to the phenomenon generally known as “Fernandomania,” wherein followers would flock to his begins, each at dwelling and on the street. The Mexican left-hander virtually single-handedly modified the Dodger fan base on this timeframe and within the coming years, and he would go on to say the NL Rookie of the Year, Cy Young Award and a World Championship in his first full season. He is the one Major Leaguer to ever win the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award in the identical season.
“El Toro” was celebrated for his unorthodox pitching supply in addition to his signature pitch, the screwball, taught to him by good friend and teammate Bobby Castillo in 1979. He would win a profession excessive 21 video games in 1986 and throw a no-hitter vs. the Cardinals on June 29, 1990, wherein Vin Scully exclaimed after the ultimate out: “If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!”
Valenzuela retired in 1997 after 17 massive league seasons because the all-time chief in wins (173) and strikeouts (2,074) amongst Mexican-born Major Leaguers. Following his enjoying profession, Valenzuela rejoined the Dodger group as a broadcaster in 2003 alongside Jarrín, who first go to know his outdated broadcasting associate whereas translating for Valenzuela in the course of the peak of “Fernandomania” in 1981.
“He created more baseball fans, and Dodger fans, than any other player,” mentioned Jarrín, who referred to as Dodger video games from 1959-2022. “Thanks to this kid, people fell in love with baseball. Especially within the Mexican community.”
In 2010, Valenzuela was the topic of an “ESPN 30 for 30 documentary,” directed by Mexican native and Los Angeles-raised Cruz Angeles, who mentioned this on the eve of the movie’s debut: “For my generation, I’m talking Generation X, the children of Mexican immigrants that grew up in Southern California in the 1980s, he’s not a myth, he was a hero. He was the Mexican who made it and was destroying all of the competition. All fathers wanted their sons to be the next Fernando Valenzuela, and all of us kids would imitate his delivery, looking up to the sky, hands up in the air high and everything. He was one of us, and we wanted to be like him.”
A local of Etchohuaquila, Sonora, Mexico, Valenzuela has been lively in each the Los Angeles and Mexican communities throughout his post-playing profession. He was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on August 23, 2003, in a pregame on the sector ceremony at Dodger Stadium, and in 2013 he was enshrined into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame. More lately, the Mexican Baseball League retired his No. 34 in 2019. Valenzuela has served as a participant, coach and common supervisor for Team Mexico in a number of worldwide competitions, together with the World Baseball Classic.
He was inducted into the “Legends of Dodger Baseball” in 2019 and have become a naturalized citizen of the Unites States in 2015. Last yr, he was honored with the “Outstanding Americans by Choice” recognition from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Service.
Valenzuela is married to Linda Valenzuela and lives in Los Angeles. He may be very happy with his two sons, two daughters, and 7 grandchildren.
