Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Wow-what horrid reasoning. The newly eligible candidates included 22 All-Stars, five of whom were not on the ballot, who were selected a total of 68 times. High pitch counts in an era when nobody cared about pitch counts, six straight seasons of 250 or more innings pitched when that type of workload was the norm, and the stress placed on his shoulder by repeatedly throwing his screwball shortened Valenzuelas career and ultimately thwarted his Hall of Fame candidacy. The ballot consisted of 33 players; 496 ballots were cast, with 372 votes required for election. 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. Jarrn said his favorite memory of the 1981 season was of the time he accompanied Valenzuela to a luncheon at the White House that was staged in honor of then-Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo. Each of the Dodgers retired numbers was worn by a player who played a majority of his career with the club and was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. But its entertainment for the fans. His screwgi wad unique, his defense won him gold gloves his hitting silver bats. So, is Fernando Valenzuela a Hall of Fame-worthy player? There have been those who have thrown the screwball hard and those are the ones who have the arm troubles, Thorn says. Ive always been asked what the situation is, with Cooperstown and all that, Valenzuela says. Valenzuela made the Dodgers the team of a community that once viewed the franchise with suspicion. He has not yet appeared in any of the special era ballots, but that is his best hope. PITCHER FERNANDO VALENZUELA FOR HALL OF FAME NOW! - Change.org In my opinion only roberto Clemente and Jackie Robinson had a bigger impact not just in baseball , but in all of sports . He was 75. The numbers, however, speak for themselves: He began the 1981 season with eight straight wins, seven complete games and five shutouts. His family lived on a dirt road that was filled with potholes, he says. 34 in 2019. 34 to the list of 11 current . Hernndez: Fernando Valenzuela's lasting impact on baseball makes him ), 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. 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. Years with Dodgers: 1980-1990. . In those first eight games, everything went well, good run support, good defense, says Valenzuela, who became the first -- and to date, the only pitcher to claim both the Rookie of the Year Award and the Cy Young in the same season. Reflecting on his rookie season, Valenzuela spoke of the importance of the emergency start he made on opening day. The program is trying to recapture its traditions while building new ones in the modern era. By then, Fernandomania was in full swing. One of the biggest problems is that the East Coast heavy media personnel have forgotten about the impact he had and his greatness. In the 1981 World Series against the New York Yankees, the Dodgers lost the first two games. Fernando Valenzuela deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. There were these growing pains in Southern California, which was a dominant white culture, because people were saying, 'OK, this is going to be a Mexican culture in the next couple of decades, so what are we going to do with it? But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Fernando Valenzuela was one of MLB's most beloved players over his 17-season career. They didnt have to wait long. Forty years later, there are still memories.. Before refuting the premise by citing his career numbers or the brevity of his peak, consider this: Bud Selig,. Many of the families impacted still refuse to go to Dodger Stadium. Fernando Valenzuela has not been elected into the Hall of Fame. Design by Tom Forget. Those candidates receiving less than 5% of the vote (25 votes) will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee. Required fields are marked *. Valenzuela would have to be chosen by the Todays Game Committee, which will hold its next election in 2022. Fernando Valenzuela. David Venn is the executive editor of LasMayores.com, MLBs official Spanish-language website. As the legend goes, Lasorda told Valenzuela in his native language that if he didnt give up any more runs, the Dodgers would win the game, and that Fernando, who was rarely heard speaking English at that time, answered, Are you sure?, I really dont remember, but I think that yes, it was something like that, Valenzuela says. If they could have fit a million people into Dodger Stadium, there would have been a million people there, actor Danny Trejo, the son of Mexican American parents, told the Los Angeles Times. It worked for the left-handed-throwing Valenzuela, because the pitch broke toward left-handed hitters and away from righties when traditional breaking pitches do the opposite. His numbers were impressive to me, but he just didnt do it long enough and that was his only drawback as far as I was concerned.. They went to the stadium to see him.. THEN AND NOW: Media mixes up Hall of Fame voting - Daily News (In the event, the system was reformed again after the third fruitless election for players and the second for other contributors in February 2007.). Not elected to 2023. Several artifacts from his illustrious career are housed in Cooperstown at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, but he has not received the call for enshrinement. When manager Tommy Lasorda handed Valenzuela the ball after scheduled starter Jerry Reuss was scratched with a calf injury, it became the first time that a rookie started on Opening Day in Dodgers history. Alexandre bernardo teixeira gomes cleveland. Fernando Valenzuela (1981/1981) [8]-NL 4. Years ago, Mexican-born Julio Uras was asked whether his father ever told him stories about Valenzuela. He would have won over 25 wins every year with dodgers last 6 seasons for sure and 5 world series, He also won 21 games in 86 with a fifth place dodger team and was robbed of his second cy young awards given to Mike Scott of the Astros with only 16 wins big time robbery, I agree with the fact that he was overused. Eliminated from annual BBWAA consideration by poor performance or expiration on this ballot. The same applies. Its not a pitch that organizations really teach anymore, says Dodgers broadcaster Orel Hershiser, Valenzuelas teammate from 1983 through 1990. Fernando Valenzuela - Baseball-Reference.com Valenzuela, the National League's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game as a rookie, finished the strike-shortened 1981 season with a 13-7 won-loss record and a 2.48 ERA, one of the best in the big leagues. Valenzuelas place in history is secure. 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Hall of Fame / Overview - Seneca Valley School District 2002 Baseball Hall of Fame Voting Results. 2003 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting - Wikipedia Houston had eliminated the Dodgers in a one-game tiebreaker the year before to claim the National League West title. Valenzuela should be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Among 85 eligible voters, 81 cast ballots so 61 votes were the minimum to elect a candidate. When I came up in 1980, it was at my locker. In that stretch, he struck out 68 and allowed four earned runs in 72 innings for a mind-boggling 0.50 ERA. It would be really great if they remembered me as someone who always tried his best to always give them a good show, so that they could have fun with this beautiful game.. Valenzuela's secret weapon was a screwball, a pitch he learned from Dodgers pitcher Bobby Castillo 18 months earlier. As promised, I will attempt to make the Hall of Fame (HoF)case for former Dodgers starFernando Valenzuela. Fernandomania - Society for American Baseball Research [25] However, . Sixty baseball writers selected from the nominees 25 players and 15 other contributors to appear on the ballots. Many of these residents were Mexican Americans, who became embittered and remained cool to the Dodgers for decades afterward. He just never generated enough support, Spencer says. Dodger Stadium became the place to be. It was beyond imagining that Fernando could have made it from this town. Sooner or later, it has to be properly recognized. Fernando Valenzuela | Biography, Stats, & Facts | Britannica Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson threw a fadeaway in the early 1900s, and Carl Hubbell, who pitched for 16 seasons starting in 1928, threw a similar pitch. I tried to do my best so they can have a good game, a nice day in the park.. After Fernando, fathers were trying to make their kids into lefthanders even if they were righthanders., READ MORE: Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms. We won. Fernando Valenzuela is the only player ever so far to win a Cy Young Award and a Rookie of the Year Award in the same season. The feeling was that this team was starting to run out of time to accomplish winning a world championship, said first baseman Steve Garvey, who played for the Dodgers from 1969 through 1982. He is part of a group of players once considered outsiders and who changed the games landscape upon their entry. Seneca Valley, once Maryland's premier football program, tries to We have had so many great players that if we tried to retire everyone's number who would qualify, then we would be in triple digits on our uniforms now, Kasten says. Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, 1974 Dodgers Cy Young winner Mike Marshall and Mets and Phillies icon Tug McGraw also threw screwballs. The screwball that swept side to side out of the strike one was best against free swingers. For road games, attendance increased by 5,000 to 10,000 for his starts. He was also very playful when he got comfortable.. There are countless Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles and across the country with stories like Lopezs. This is sport, he told the Times in 2021. The Dodgers won the next three games to claim their first championship since 1965, when Koufax was their best pitcher. In his 1986 All-Star appearance, he tied Carl Hubbell by striking out 5 in a row. Fernandomania @ 40 is a multi-episode documentary series that examines star pitcher Fernando Valenzuelas impact on the Dodgers, Major League Baseball and the Latino community in Los Angeles 40 years ago. How many strikeouts did Fernando Valenzuela have? Fernando.". Years later, Lopez made his own statement with a No. This story originally ran in 2021. Hall of Fame Inductee Fernando Valenzuela and his daughter attend the When rookie Fernando Valenzuela took the mound in L.A. for Opening Day 1981, no one knew it would be the beginning of a cultural phenomenon. Fernandos peak from late 1980-1986 was filled with high performance, and historic impact on the game. The potholes were as big as some of the houses. Thanks in advance. At that point, Valenzuela was 5-0 with a 0.20 ERA, and everyone wanted to know when Fernando was going to pitch again. His next 18 pitches were strikes, Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia told the Times. Results of the 2003 election by the BBWAA were announced on January 7. Today, their job is to focus on the reigning World Series champion Dodgers, but inevitably, the spotlight will center on one of the most celebrated moments in baseball history: the season when Valenzuela and his arm captivated the baseball world and recruited a new generation of fans. There have been some rumblings about that, right? He still moves the needle. This guy was godsend like orel, and Clayton. The workload eventually caught up to him. He earned Mexicos Premio Nacional del Deporte, the countrys highest sports honor, last November. They are ethnic heroes. He struggled at the beginning and Tommy Lasorda was almost ready to bring in Dave Goltz early, which would have probably put the Dodgers down 3-0 and history would be different. In his book, Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between, Eric Nusbaum details how the club ended up with Dodger Stadium, specifically how three Mexican neighborhoods -- Palo Verde, La Loma and Bishop -- were destroyed to make way for a housing project that was canceled amid the Red Scare hysteria and real estate speculation. But Arellano, who for years thought Valenzuela didn't merit Hall of Fame consideration, believes otherwise. Overuse, along with throwing a screwball, were probably the main culprits of his shortened career. 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. Jacob deGrom - Namuwiki Rick Circleliff (1979/1984) - NL 5. Fernando Valenzuela became a fan favorite in Los Angelesand beyond. Its almost always easier for a lefty pitcher to throw those kinds of pitches.. In 1981, an 11-year-old Jaffe used to cut Valenzuelas box scores out of his local Salt Lake City newspaper and paste them into a scrapbook. My hope is that the media and the people in charge of the Veterans Committee would re-consider what Fernando Valenzuela did; first as a great player and then as an impact on the fans of baseball. Baseball Reference uses a list of 10 similar players for each major leaguer-none of Fernandos comps are HOFers. 1981-04-09 LA Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela's 1st start, beats Astros 2-0; 1981-04-22 Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela tosses his 3rd shutout in 4 starts; 1981-09-17 Fernando Valenzuela sets NL rookie record with 8th shutout of season; 1981-11-11 LA Dodgers starter Fernando Valenzuela becomes first MLB rookie to win a Cy Young Award; Milwaukee Brewers' Rollie Fingers takes . Large homemade Viva Fernando signs in the bleachers were all the rage. One thing is certain: Valenzuela broke barriers. I always say, maybe if things hadnt gone so well, we dont know if I would have had more chances. The Dodgers rallied to a 5-4 victory behind Valenzuelas complete-game, 147-pitch effort in front of 56,236 fans. After being staked to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, Valenzuela gave up four runs in the next two frames, including a solo home run by Bob Watson and a two-run shot by Rick Cerone in the top of the third that gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead. Players. This will be all age related. Both cycles first concluded with elections in February 2003, electing no one. [1], The process would cover players every two years and other contributors (managers, umpires and executives) every four years. There are endless stories of Latino Dodgers fans that talk about how Fernando brought either their parents or grandparents into the Dodgers fandom, and now that fandom continues. It was the fifth game of Valenzuelas eight-game winning streak. Feel free to click the Baseball Referencelinks on their names to compare for yourself. He made everybody feel bigger and welcome. Valenzuela's rise to major league prominence began in September 1980, when he was called up from the minor leagues by the Dodgers. Valenzuela is a member of the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame, Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame and the California Sports Hall of Fame. The two of them are worthy candidates for the Hall of Fame if you do not use merely the stat lines as your criteria. The broad and controversial debate about the increase in Latino immigrants served as the backdrop, while anti-Mexican sentiment, in some cases pitting Mexican-Americans against new Mexico-born arrivals, was on the rise. He is part of a group of players once considered outsiders and that changed the games landscape upon their entry. 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. Kellogg's Corn Flakes put him on a box of cereal. In a 2-0 opening-day victory over the Houston Astros, Valenzuela pitched a complete game. He was the Mexican who made it and was destroying all of the competition. In terms of player comparisons, over the last 25 years guys like Bruce Sutter, Jack Morris, Bill Mazeroski and Jim Rice have all been elected. Before that, he was the Dodgers beat writer. He was the best and most of his losses in first 7 years were by one run or dodgers getting shut out and he didntt choke in post season plus de didntt need relief since most of time he was around 9 innings and was used as pinch hitter too.he could play good defense too.sorry but Kershaw not in his class .healthy Fernando would have won 4 world series the last 4 years that Kershaw failed. Nowadays, Valenzuelas at the age where he's finally allowing himself to take a look at the past through the rearview mirror, but the most celebrated Mexican in the history of Major League Baseball still does not like talking about himself or Fernandomania. Arellano, who grew up in Southern California, was a toddler during the summer of Fernandomania. Army family housing appropriation thresholds. Valenzuela falls short in all three of Bill James tests making it only halfway in the most accurate predictor getting 25 of the 50 that indicates a HOF election..and then there is abysmal showing in the actual voting. Three years later, Dodger Stadium opened on April 10, 1962, on the land. Valenzuela Gets Young Award - The New York Times Players eligible for the first time who were not included on the ballot were: Damon Berryhill, Mike Bielecki, Darnell Coles, Mariano Duncan, lvaro Espinoza, Greg Gagne, Mike Gallego, Rene Gonzales, Kevin Gross, Mark Gubicza, Ron Karkovice, Joe Orsulak, Jody Reed, Bruce Ruffin, Kevin Seitzer, Don Slaught, and John Smiley. Valenzuela finally took his first loss of the season -- and of his career -- on May 18, when he allowed four runs in seven innings against the Phillies. In the early '80s, theres still this huge migration wave from Mexico that brought up my parents, brought up all of my friends and the parents of my friends, Arellano says. Fernando Valenzuela had 2,074 strikeouts over his career. Mundo 7 Latinos who belong in baseball s Hall of Fame Among Latino fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Fernando Valenzuela is a baseball immortal. His first taste of Fernandomania came on April 27, 1981, when he watched from the left field bleachers as Valenzuela threw a seven-hit shutout and notched three hits in a 5-0 victory against the Giants. I always think twice about what I want to do or say, and I think its the only way to achieve certain things in life. Fernando Valenzuela Stats, Fantasy & News. #ProspectHugger. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? It was really important for me because things went well, Valenzuela says. Follow him on Twitter @JesseSanchezMLB and Facebook. I was assigned that number, but I really dont know whats going to happen. These Mexicans are just like you. He's irreplaceable. I always looked at the Hall of Fame differently than most voters. Nowadays, Fernando is seen almost as a myth, because his playing career ended in the '90s before a lot of the current generation fans were even born, says Gustavo Arellano, a columnist covering Southern California for the Los Angeles Times. Fernando Valenzuela went on to pitch 11 years for the Dodgers (1980-1990). Its also an effective pitch, especially if its mixed in with a pitching repertoire like Valenzuelas. No game was more memorable than Game 3 of the World Series against the Yankees at Dodger Stadium. Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated here with a dagger (). If theres someone [else] that can wear it, thats no problem. He knew how to play the game. Dont be stupid after his injury he was never the same also too many innings pitched but his first 6 years healthy he dominated over hall of famers Carlton Ryan,Seaver anybody and didntt choke in postseason still up to this date no rookie pitcher has started the season 8 and 0 with 5 by shutout and all of them complete games.Even been over the hill still recover some greatness to pitch a no hitter in 1990. But even Jaffe, a seasoned analyst who relies on hard numbers to make Hall of Fame cases, has a soft spot for Valenzuela. When we see managers, commissioners, and front office personnel elected to the Hall of Fame with sketchy contributions to the game, and players like Fernando Valenzuela are not, then something is wrong. In 1981, Fernandomania was born. When he came up in 1980, you saw there was a composure that he had, a poise that sometimes players have to work into. Im not going to speculate, but it is safe to say that he could have averaged 15 wins per season up until 1996, cementing his bid to the hall of fame. Before refuting the premise by citing his career numbers or the brevity of his peak, consider this: Bud Selig, former Major League Baseball commissioner, is a Hall of Famer. I had a fastball and a curveball that was good but maybe, a screwball, a pitch that moved in the opposite direction of the curveball, could help, Valenzuela says. Among 85 eligible voters, 79 cast ballots so 60 votes were the minimum to elect a candidate. 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? Fernandomania wasnt just about baseball. Kellogg's Corn Flakes put him on a box of cereal. The ballpark was electrified by his performance, Lopez recalled. How many . The Veterans Committee held elections both for players who were active no later than 1981 and for non-players (managers, umpires and executives), but did not select anyone. Valenzuela was pitching on short rest, and he clearly did not have his best stuff. He threw 113 complete games, including 31 shutouts. Five years earlier, a statue of Valenzuela was erected at the entrance of Estadio de Bisbol Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico. Lyle Spencer, who covered the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner from 1977-81, was paired with Valenzuela as an English tutor during Spring Training of 1981. He was a prankster and impressed his teammates with another skill nobody expected. Fernando had three great years and hung around-not enough. Fernando Valenzuela Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com Outside of Jackie Robinson and maybe Babe Ruth, Valenzuela reshaped baseballs landscape more than any other player in history. Fernandomania made it all the way to Cooperstown - Baseball Hall of Fame He could lasso anything.. Im someone who is very reserved, Valenzuela says. The comedian still chuckles when he recalls an unscheduled mound visit and the cheers it elicited to the sold-out stadium. The fact that he was Mexican and that he was so good, and so humble while on such an incredible run was inspiring, Lopez says. ( marks those newly eligible since 2001 (eight). Valenzuela is not the first Mexican or Mexican-American big leaguer in baseball. Former Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela throws a ceremonial first pitch before the MLB All-Star Game last summer at Dodger Stadium. And in my opinion, Fernando should have pitched another five years easy if it wasnt because Lasorda didnt care for the welfare if this great Mexican pitcher that came to the Dodgers from a little town in Sonora, Mexico. Writing for the Business of Baseball Committee, SABR, Pappas classified them as one umpire (U), four owners (O), one labor leader (L), three general managers (GM), four managers (M), and two league officials (lg).