Posted on Aug 11, 2023
'Fernandomania' 40 years later: How Fernando Valenzuela captivated baseball fans for decades
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If you were a baseball fan in the '80s, you knew about "Fernandomania."
That was the word for the spectacle and excitement surrounding Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who made his first start for the team 40 years ago this month. Decades later, he remains a Mexican American icon.
Legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully has described the frenzy around the star pitcher as a “religious experience.”
Fans were immediately captivated by the portly pitcher from Sonora, Mexico. They’d line up at the stadium to watch his “dramatic” windup, Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano says. Arellano is part of the newspaper’s “Fernandomania @ 40” documentary series.
That was the word for the spectacle and excitement surrounding Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who made his first start for the team 40 years ago this month. Decades later, he remains a Mexican American icon.
Legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully has described the frenzy around the star pitcher as a “religious experience.”
Fans were immediately captivated by the portly pitcher from Sonora, Mexico. They’d line up at the stadium to watch his “dramatic” windup, Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano says. Arellano is part of the newspaper’s “Fernandomania @ 40” documentary series.
'Fernandomania' 40 years later: How Fernando Valenzuela captivated baseball fans for decades
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Posted 9 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“He became right away a hero for Latinos following baseball,” Jarrín told LAist. “The most important thing is that he created so many new baseball followers.…people from Mexico, from Central America, from South America that didn’t care at all about baseball.”
The young, Mexican-born pitcher rose to superstardom after he led the team to the 1981 World Series. Valenzuela went on to play for the Dodgers until 1991. His pitching appearances drew sell-out crowds and spiked TV viewership.
When Valenzuela came along, Latino sports fans in L.A. at the time were more interested in soccer and boxing, Jarrín said. But when the young man Jarrin describes as “a 19-year-old kid, a little chubby, with Indian features and long hair,” took the pitcher’s mound, Mexican Americans and Latinos in L.A. and elsewhere noticed.
“I think he made them feel proud of being Latinos here in this country,” Jarrín said. “That is what he told me many times, ‘I am very, very proud of being Mexican, and of being Mexican and being here in the United States, here in the major leagues.’ So really, he became an idol here.”...
..."“He became right away a hero for Latinos following baseball,” Jarrín told LAist. “The most important thing is that he created so many new baseball followers.…people from Mexico, from Central America, from South America that didn’t care at all about baseball.”
The young, Mexican-born pitcher rose to superstardom after he led the team to the 1981 World Series. Valenzuela went on to play for the Dodgers until 1991. His pitching appearances drew sell-out crowds and spiked TV viewership.
When Valenzuela came along, Latino sports fans in L.A. at the time were more interested in soccer and boxing, Jarrín said. But when the young man Jarrin describes as “a 19-year-old kid, a little chubby, with Indian features and long hair,” took the pitcher’s mound, Mexican Americans and Latinos in L.A. and elsewhere noticed.
“I think he made them feel proud of being Latinos here in this country,” Jarrín said. “That is what he told me many times, ‘I am very, very proud of being Mexican, and of being Mexican and being here in the United States, here in the major leagues.’ So really, he became an idol here.”...
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