“Fernandomania” was a fun time to be a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers
The portly little lefty starting pitcher Fernando Valenzuela took L.A. by storm when he arrived for good in 1981. Valenzuela won the Rookie of the Year Award and the Cy Young Award in 1981 at the age of 20. He pitched in 25 games (all starts) for the Dodgers in 1981 and he was 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He had 11 complete games that season including 8 of which that were shutouts. The Dodgers worked Valenzuela hard which probably led his arm to be shot before his time should have been up. Valenzuela pitched in 331 games (320 starts) in 11 years for the Dodgers and he was 141-116 with 2 saves, a 3.31 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Valenzuela’s name is all over the record books for the Dodgers. He is #6 all-time in Dodgers’ history in games started (320), #8 in wins (141), tied for #6 in shutouts (29), #9 in innings pitched (2,348 2/3) and #5 in strikeouts (1,759). Fernando Valenzuela will always have a place in Dodgers’ fans hearts as he was truly a sight to see and a reason to come to the ballpark.