The Los Angeles Dodgers are making sure that “Fernandomania” lives on during the World Series.
The team announced on Thursday that patches to honor the late Fernando Valenzuela, who died on Tuesday at the age of 63, will be worn on the players’ and coaches’ jerseys during the series against the New York Yankees.
The patches, which say “Fernando” and display his iconic No. 34, will also be worn throughout the entirety of the 2025 season. The tribute mirrors previous gestures the team made, including when legendary broadcaster Vin Scully died in 2022.
Valenzuela lit a spark in the city of L.A. in 1981 when his historic and electric rookie season swept the Southland into “Fernandomania.” The left-hander pitched complete games in each of his first eight starts that season, including six shutouts.
The Mexican-born pitcher won both the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards that year, becoming the first and only player in MLB history to win both awards in the same season. The Dodgers went on to win the World Series.
After his playing career ended in 1997, he later broadcasted Spanish-language games for the Dodgers with SportsNet Los Angeles starting in 2015. He served that role until the last week of this regular season when he was hospitalized. His cause of death is yet to be released.
