After making 255 consecutive starts to open his career, Valenzuela was shelved for the first time as he missed most of the final two months of the season on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury. Second, Vin never played favorites, he taught us to celebrate the moments whether they be the Dodgers or say the 49ers in 1980. biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, detailed fielding As a second-year player, there was no real mechanism for him to renew his contract other than to play hardball and hope the Dodgers caved under pressure to make sure the instant superstar was ready for Opening Day. The Houston Astros, however, won the second-half division title. Michaels became ABC's lead baseball play-by-play announcer (and exclusive World Series announcer) by the time the network next aired the World Series in 1983. Valenzuela, Fernando (1960)Few baseball players have captured the popular imagination as Fernando Valenzuela did in the summer of 1981, when the word "Fernandomania" came into the English lexicon, as the young lefthander with the incredible screwball astounded the baseball world by tossing five shutouts during an eight game winning streak to start the season. It's a nice memory, as the chance to be involved in those kind of games isn't something that happens every day. Fernandomania did not yet exist. Fernando Valenzuela World Series Stats The Fernando Valenzuela World Series stats seen below include his World Series year-by-year hitting stats, World Series fielding stats, and World Series pitching stats (where applicable). Was that the greatest moment of your career? over New York Yankees (A.L.). The Braves . Valenzuela was on the mound to start 1988 for the Dodgers, the sixth opening day start of his career, trailing only the seven made by both Don Drysdale and Don Sutton in Dodgers franchise history. Fernando Valenzuela 's performance in Game 3 can best be described with one word: Tenacious. Meanwhile, Reuss was as effective as Guidry, holding the Yanks to five hits and the lone run and going the distance. . Copyright 1999- Davis had troubles in the sixth. In the National League, the Dodgers led the National League West prior to the strike. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The greatest lineups ever? Fernando Valenzuela throws out ASG first pitch. 7 Cubs pitchers combine for no-hitter vs Machado, Padres, Top moments from Brady, Manning, Jordan and other athletes hosting 'Saturday Night Live', Fantasy baseball rankings, projections, strategy and cheat sheets, Rangers' Leclerc to miss WBC with neck injury, Rockies' Rodgers may need surgery, '23 at risk, Rojas to withdraw from WBC, stay with Dodgers, Former columnist and writer after five years with Sports Illustrated, Markazi has also written for Slam, King, Vibe and Playboy. May gave up a double to Steve Garvey and an RBI single to Cey in the fifth, but the Yankees countered with two in the sixth on RBI singles by Oscar Gamble and Watson off Tom Niedenfuer. Steve Howe replaced him and earned the save. Regular season game of the year: Valenzuela started the Dodgers' division-clinching game on Sept. 26 in San Diego, but lasted just three innings in his first game back after missing eight weeks. 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With a lead and the Dodger Stadium crowd behind him, Valenzuela appeared to finally settle down. Ron Cey, meanwhile, provided him a 30 lead in the Dodger half with a three-run homer off Dave Righetti. Fernando Valenzuela pitched in 25 Major League games during the 1981 regular season. Valenzuela was a six-time All-Star during his tenure with the Dodgers, and was part of a second World Series championship team in 1988. If so, please send it to us, and we'll update this page immediately." Astros embrace, enjoy their moment The Dodgers won the Series in six games, as the Yankees had done in the teams' prior two Series meetings, in 1977 and 1978. Oh, I need a catcher. Valenzuela would pitch eight shutouts in all and win both the National Leagues Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards. Last Name Valenzuela #9. Post-1988 playing career: Valenzuela returned to health and pitched 400 combined innings in 1989-1990. His best seasons were 1981, his rookie year, and 1986, when he led the National League with 21 wins and had a league-leading 20 complete games. Valenzuela had only one no-hitter in his career, which came in the eighth. He was voted the NL Rookie of the Year, and won the Cy Young Award in 1981, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win . window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { This allowed Bob Lemon to start Tommy John opposite Dodger starter Burt Hooton, and also allowed Ron Cey to be in the Dodger lineup. Most Popular #47312. He was most active throughout the '80s, when he became known as one of the better hitting pitchers of his era. The Dodgers got to the Series with help from Mexican-born rookie phenom Fernando Valenzuela, who won his first eight games including five by shutout. Valenzuela was released at the end of spring training in 1991,. Fantasy baseball: Which prospects have fantasy value in 2023? Here's everything you need to know about Houston's win over L.A. Astros win first World Series title Touring the world with friends one mile and pub at a time; the happiest days of your life by jamie field Newsletter . Jackson was not even allowed to pinch-hit. In his 17-year Major League career Valenzuela won 173 games and yielded a 3.54 ERA. The Fernando Valenzuela World Series stats seen below include his World Series year-by-year hitting stats, World Series fielding stats, and World Series pitching stats (where applicable). The Dodgers swept the World Series in seven games. } During that season, the 1981 season, he finished with a 2.48 ERA in 192. Scorpio Baseball Player #17. But after losing three of his first five starts, the magic returned, as he pitched complete games in six of his next seven outings, and went 17-10 with a 2.89 ERA over his final 32 starts. In the seventh, Dusty Baker led off with an infield hit off George Frazier and went to third on a Rick Monday liner that got past center fielder Bobby Brown when he tried to make a shoestring catch. His $2.05 million salary in 1988 made him the first pitcher to make north of $2 million in one season. Valenzuela was a trailblazer for Latin American players and his induction was a watershed moment for the sport. [citation needed]. LOS ANGELES -- Perhaps the most memorable moment of the 2017 World Series so far occurred before Game 2 at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, when Vin Scully, the play-by-play voice of the Dodgers for 67 seasons before retiring last year, stepped onto the field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Prior MLB experience: Valenzuela was an absolute workhorse for the first seven years of his career. Do you still have any souvenirs from that game? This win was the teams fourth in a row in the Fall Classic and its second in a row after going four years without making the playoffs. $115.00. Prior to this game, Yankee manager Bob Lemon sat Reggie Jackson. Valenzuela additionally. At the time, the league was still in the early stages of its salary arbitration process. Yankees pitcher George Frazier tied a World Series record for losing three of the six games in 1981. Gonzalez has already made an impact on the Dodgers organization, and he has already had an impact on the Dodgers. window.mc4wp.listeners.push( Bill Russell singled to short left field, and Hooton unexpectedly rounded third and headed home. June 29, 1990, was my chance to throw a no-hitter, and I think that leaves great memories because it wasn't just my achievement, it was the whole team's. Valenzuela: I think it is something very special, because these kind of games don't come around very often. John pitched seven shutout innings, and Goose Gossage closed for his second save in two games. "So I'm going to ask you to do it on three, so they can hear it all the way to Houston. NL Rookie of the Year, pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, lasted the entire game despite allowing nine hits and walking seven and constantly pitching out of trouble. "Nothing has. When did Fernando Valenzuela join the Los Angeles Dodgers? As great as Valenzuela was, he will not make it to Cooperstown. Look at who's throwing out the first ball at the World Series. He improved slightly in 1989 and went 10-13; he posted a 13-13 record in 1990. SPONSORED. Moments later, Steve Yeager, who was the Dodgers' catcher for 14 seasons and the MVP of the 1981 World Series, stepped out of the dugout and up to home plate. Also the World Series; I think winning that championship and the World Series ring that you get as part of the winning team, for me, that's the best, having achieved something so huge. We also offer a variety of resources for baseball players, including tips on hitting, pitching, and fielding. It's time for Dodger baseball! var pfHeaderImgUrl = '';var pfHeaderTagline = '';var pfdisableClickToDel = 0;var pfHideImages = 0;var pfImageDisplayStyle = 'right';var pfDisablePDF = 0;var pfDisableEmail = 0;var pfDisablePrint = 0;var pfCustomCSS = 'https://www.baseball-almanac.com/css/print.css';var pfBtVersion='2';(function(){var js,pf;pf=document.createElement('script');pf.type='text/javascript';pf.src='//cdn.printfriendly.com/printfriendly.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(pf)})(); Did you know that in the Fernando Valenzuela Miscellaneous World Series Items of Interest section seen above you can click the Stats link under the World Series label and a truly comprehensive history of that World Series will appear on your screen? Former teammates Burt Hooton and Tommy John were locked in a scoreless duel until the fifth, when Larry Milbourne doubled in Willie Randolph for the only run John would really need. 1981 Topps Traded #850 Fernando Valenzuela Los Angeles Dodgers SGC 8 NM-MT. They finally broke their World Series Championship drought by winning in 2020 against the Tampa Bay Rays. A look at every Dodgers team prospect rankings from national outlets, including Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, ESPN, FanGraphs, MLB Pipeline, and The Athletic. On this occasion, it went straight to Samuel at second base. Fernando Valenzuela was a pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981. While exhilarating, in many ways the success of the 1988 Dodgers was also bittersweet because the ultimate celebration came without the team's two biggest stars of the 1980s. For the first time, there were co-MVP's in a World Series: Cey (.350 avg., 7-for-20, HR, 6 RBIs), Yeager (.286 avg., 4-for-14, 2 HR's), and Guerrero (.333 avg, 7-for-21, 2 HR's, 7 RBIs) shared the award. In the bottom of the fourth, Yankee manager Bob Lemon made a controversial decision. The young pitcher eventually threw in the white towel, albeit, $300,000 richer. "It's not my arm. [16] However, since their 1988 World Series win, the Dodgers would not appear in another World Series until 2017 (which they lost to the Houston Astros), despite reaching the NLCS in 2008, 2009, 2013, and 2016. As ABC cameras showed during the broadcast, John paced the Yankee dugout in disbelief after being pulled.[11]. Dave Winfield walked and Jackson singled before Goltz gave up a sacrifice fly to Bob Watson. Morris started the most games, pitched the most innings, and had the most wins of any pitcher in that decade. With a 63 lead, the Yankees turned the pitching over to their relief combination of Ron Davis and Goose Gossage. He became a sensation in 1981, when he won the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards. Scully said as he walked toward the pitcher's mound to a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd. Pinch-hitter Bobby Murcer attempted a sacrifice bunt, but popped it foul. He was the first Mexican-born player to be inducted and is widely considered one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Valenzuela led the National League in complete games in both 1986 (20) and 1987 (12), and led the league in batters faced in 1984, 1986, and 1987. In 1980 Valenzuela was promoted to the Double-A level San Antonio Dodgers. Lopes reached second and stole third with no throw by catcher Cerone three pitches later, because Davis pitched from a windup rather than a set position. He walked two Yankee batters in the first, but pitched out of it. John managed to strand Guerrero in scoring position to end the seventh and pitched the last two innings, but closer Gossage never got in the game. Willie Randolph led the game off with a triple and scored on a Larry Milbourne double. } I remember the moment well. In 1981, Fernando Valenzuela won Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. The Dodgers, on the other hand, were unable to complete the feat, losing in five games to the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. LOS ANGELES -- On June 29, 1990, Fernando Valenzuela tossed a no-hitter, an achievement that carved his place among the Major League elite as the first Mexican to achieve this feat. Graig Nettles led off the inning with a double. I think everything came together with the team, my teammates rose to the occasion and we finally did it. Valenzuela, the teams ace, started and won Game 1. "You know what I'm thinking right now?" Prior to a handful of relief appearances as a September call-up in 1980, Valenzuela's entire career consisted . And in that scenario, when they told me that Dave Stewart had already thrown a no-hitter, I was happy, because I know him, he had played for us, for the Dodgers, and after playing for a few other teams he had finally ended up in Oakland, which was who he threw that no-hitter for. Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (Spanish pronunciation: [fenando alenswela], born November 1, 1960) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher.Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1991 and 1993 to 1997.While he played for six MLB teams, his longest tenure was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.Valenzuela batted and threw left-handed. The early days of the '81 season were dominated by Fernando Valenzuela. items-of-interest. Did you know that Fernando Valenzuela pitched 12 games at home, had an ERA of 1.57, pitched 97.1 innings, allowed 62 hits, had 17 earned runs, 18 runs, and 7 home runs, walked 23 batters (1 intentionally), threw 0 wild pitches, hit batters 0 times, and balked 0 times? Los Angeles won that contest 5-4 and went on to take the Series in six games. NLCS & World Series performance: Valenzuela made it back from injury in time to make one regular season start and pitch another four innings in relief, but the left-hander was left off the postseason roster and reduced to a spectator against the Mets and Athletics. The series was now tied 22. Fernando Valenzuela pitched in 25 Major League games during the 1981 regular season. On board of directors for Jim Murray Memorial Foundation. Key Dodger losses included Reggie Smith (who signed with the San Francisco Giants after the season), Davey Lopes (traded in the off season), Ron Cey (traded in 1982), Steve Garvey (who departed for the San Diego Padres in 1983). Since 1988, the Dodgers have signed eight Mexican-born players, including Gonzalez, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB draft. My problem, Steve, is my fastball is the same as my changeup, so I hope that doesn't confuse you. How many World Series did the Dodgers win with Fernando Valenzuela? In his 1991 autobiography T.J.: My 26 Years in Baseball, John revealed that before the game, Lemon and team owner George Steinbrenner settled on the following strategy: get the lead early and then protect it with the bullpen (despite the bullpen's collapses earlier in the series). "Like that,'' Fernando Valenzuela said of the passage of time. Valenzuela would pitch eight shutouts in all and win both the National League's Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards. Bob Lemon lasted fourteen games in the next season before being dismissed by Steinbrenner despite promises to finish the whole season (although Lemon was quoted as being relieved over the decision). . The 78th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers. This World Series was the last to be called by Jackson in the broadcast booth. Valenzuela's best post-Dodgers year came in 1996 with the division winners in San Diego, as he was 13-8 with a 3.61 ERA in 33 games, including 31 starts. Valenzuela's first start for the Dodgers in April of 1981 was a shutout win against the Houston Astros a moment that marked the start of "Fernandomania." Los Angeles went wild. The Dodgers goal is to have Gonzlez contribute to their post-season chances. I can't do it. Luis Valenzuela was one of the first members of the inaugural class of Legends of Baseball. In 2014, he was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame. Well, there have been so many, but I think I can narrow the list down to three Opening Days that stand out in my memory. After Dusty Baker reached on an error by Nettles, loading the bases again, Guerrero singled in two more runs. Originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, Game 6 was postponed a day by rain. Lemon pinch-hit for his starting pitcher in the fourth inning of a 11 game. L.A. did everything right until Game 7 Cumulative monthly totals are provided where applicable. L.A. didnt exactly break out their bats, but came away with a 2-0 victory. Winfield's huge contract (US$21 million over 10 years), was added to an already strong lineup. event : evt, Reuschel walked Steve Garvey intentionally and gave up an RBI force-out to pinch-hitter Derrel Thomas. We have box scores from every World Series game in history, line scores, Series rosters, composite team stats, trivia, a sample program, and a detailed written account of the actual Fall Classic. Valenzuela, a native of Mexicali, Baja California, was a Dodgers amateur free agent in 1990. "I must warn you, I worked all week playing catch with my wife and she said that I had good stuff. His career highlights include a win-loss record of 173-153, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.54. OK. Are you ready?". Valenzuela batted and threw left-handed.