Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela died today. I knew that he was really sick and he seemed to be in trouble, but of course I was hoping that he would pull through. Fernando is one of those players that will always be synonymous with the Dodgers, and I was very pleased when the Dodgers finally officially (and belatedly) retired his uniform number in 2023.
You can read more about Fernando Valenzuela on Wikipedia page.
Update: Here is ESPN's article about Valenzuela's death.
Update (10/24/24): I'll add a bit more detail.
For baseball in Los Angeles, Fernando Valenzuela is a legend.
Among other things, he changed the entire fan base of the Dodger organization. He is an absolutely pivotal figure in the history of the Dodgers.
On the performance side, he of course had an incredible beginning and an amazing peak. He started the All Star Game as a rookie, and he's the only player to win the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award in the same year. He's also the last MLB player with 20+ complete games in one season.
Update (10/26/24): Here is an obituary article by Jay Jaffe.
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