Steve Webb
The Los Angeles Dodgers have called Southern California home for the better part of the last 60 years and the people have no problem about it.
Latino-Americans have looked to the Dodgers as a source of bonding, lifestyle and encouragement. The community, especially has embraced the team and made it their own. The grip the team has on the Latino community is near unbreakable and it is all thanks to one fateful scouting trip.
Fernando-Mania runs Wild
In the beginning, the construction of Dodger Stadium alienated many Latino Americans from rooting for the Dodgers and it wasn’t until the story of Fernando Valenzuela and how he got to the Majors that Latino-Americans began to show up to Dodger Stadium in droves.
Following the construction, Mike Brito, a Dodger scout arrived in Mexico to scout a player and saw Fernando Valenzuela instead. He showed prowess and drive and prompted Brito to call back to the States to get them to sign Valenzuela.
The following years would lead to Fernandomania that would drive Southern California crazy and that would enshrine Valenzuela as one of the greatest Latino-American players of all time.
The Next Generation
In the years after Fernandomania, players like Yasiel Puig, Alex Verdugo, Enrique Hernandez would take the field in Dodger blue and be adored by the fans.
Former Dodger Alex Verdugo embraced his Latino heritage by having Vicente Hernandez as his walkup music, something Latino-Americans appreciated because it was important to have representation in a national sport.
The icing on the cake came with Julio Urias and his amazing performance in 2020. In the season, Urias went 3-0 with a 3.37 ERA, allowing only 5 home runs that year. Urias would then win seal the deal by pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings to win the 2020 World Series.
The Dodgers are the heart and soul of millions of Latino Americans watching the team, either from Los Angeles or wherever they may be. They will continue to wear sarapes, sombreros and jerseys embroidered with the Dodgers and continue to pile into Dodger Stadium to root on their favorite players.
