Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — I have to admit, I was not living in Los Angeles in 1981. I was just a Midwestern kid who watched baseball with a passion. In those days, I was an Orioles fan since the Baltimore club had a Single-A affiliate in my hometown of Aberdeen, SD for many years. But even in those hinterlands of the upper Midwest, the impact that Fernando Valenzuela made on the sport I loved was unmistakable.
It was the biggest story about a rookie since probably the days of Mark “The Bird” Fidrych back in 1976. But this one was much more than a feel good story about a quirky dude who talked to the baseball and did his own groundskeeping on the mound. The story of Fernandomania is one of transformation.
You wouldn’t believe it if you didn’t see it. How this slightly pudgy Mexican could captivate an entire nation. And, as would be obvious when I moved to LA and started to attend Dodger games, Fernando totally transformed the LA fan base, and totally transformed baseball.
There were other Latino players before him. Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal, Luis Aparicio, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, and Tony Perez all staked a claim to fame in this most American of sports prior to Valenzuela’s arrival on the scene in 1981. But those players (with perhaps the exception of Clemente) were merely appreciated for their talents. Fernando was adored.
It was a case of right man, right spot. Valenzuela was, except for his amazing ability to throw a baseball, not unlike any other immigrant in Los Angeles at the time. Just a kid from Mexico trying to make it in the white man’s world. And that’s what set him apart. The relatability with Fernando is unrivaled. Even modern heroes like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge seem to inhabit a different planet than us mere mortals. Fernando wasn’t like that. His humility and good humor made him seem approachable, and though he was probably fazed by the whirlwind that surrounded his rookie year, he didn’t show it on the mound.
There will never be another Fernando Valenzuela. Adios, El Toro!
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