Vice President Kamala Harris leads tributes to Fernando Valenzuela after the legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher died at age 63 on Tuesday.
“Fernando Valenzuela was a baseball legend who united a generation of Dodger fans in collective joy, excitement and amazement,” he said of the Mexican-born Valenzuela, who gave rise to “Fernandomania” in the early 1980s.
‘He inspired countless young baseball players, in the United States, Mexico and around the world, to pursue their own greatness. As a player, broadcaster and Angeleno, Fernando Valenzuela left an indelible mark on our nation,” added the Democratic presidential candidate.
In closing, Harris sent “prayers to his wife, Linda, as well as his children and grandchildren” on behalf of her and her husband, Doug Emhoff.
The mourning for Valenzuela comes as his beloved Dodgers return to the World Series. In response to his passing, many Fernandomania watchers have mourned in various ways at Dodger Stadium.
Legendary Dodgers left-hander Fernando Valenzuela died Tuesday at age 63
Tributes left for late Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela outside Dodger Stadium
Vice President Kamala Harris leads tributes to Fernando Valenzuela
Julia Mendez carefully placed three candles in a row beneath a sign welcoming fans to Dodger Stadium. Then he took out a burrito wrapped in aluminum foil and leaned it against the post.
“I know he ate a burrito his whole life,” said the 70-year-old fan from North Hollywood who had stuffed the flour tortilla with nopales and scrambled eggs in her kitchen.
The city of Los Angeles was mourning Wednesday for Mexican-born Valenzuela, the Dodgers pitcher who inspired ‘Fernandomania’ with his unique delivery and dominant performances as a pitcher in the early 1980s.
“I came here to the United States in 1976. He came in 1979. That’s when all my pride and joy began,” said Méndez, from the same Mexican state of Sonora as Valenzuela. ‘It put our names so high around the world that the entire community became fans. My love for so many years.’
Valenzuela’s rise from humble beginnings as the youngest of 12 brothers in Mexico and his exploits on the mound made him enormously popular and influential in the Los Angeles Latino community while also helping to attract new fans to Major League Baseball. . Her affection for him continued after his retirement.
Across the intersection, Jaime Cuéllar’s Mariachi Garibaldi ensemble played their guitars and trumpets.
The group frequently performs at Dodger games and reunited for a television interview scheduled before the World Series against the New York Yankees. They stayed to pay their musical respects to the man nicknamed ‘The Bull’.
Harris highlighted Valenzuela’s impact in the US, Mexico and ‘around the world’
Major League Baseball and the Dodgers were working on a plan to honor Valenzuela before Game 1 of the World Series on Friday.
In the left corner of the blue and white sign hung a large hat and a colorful serape. Mendez had added white butterfly wings over the second ‘D’ in Dodger. The sign was an equally emotional gathering place in 2022, when Dodgers Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully died at age 94.
Henry Gomez of Gardena brought his 6-year-old daughter, Tianna, to the growing memorial outside the closed stadium. She carried a souvenir sign that she and her father had written on and planned to leave.
“He is one of the Hispanic idols for us,” said the elder Gómez. ‘He opened a lot of doors for a lot of people behind him. “We are proud of that.”
In the Boyle Heights neighborhood, not far from the stadium, Robert Vargas was busy painting a mural of Valenzuela on the side of a building. The artist of Mexican descent is known for his large-scale works in outdoor locations around the world. His mural of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani on the side of a Little Tokyo hotel has become a tourist attraction.
Valenzuela was known for his Screwball, a pitch rarely seen in the majors these days.
Valenzuela waves to the crowd before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium.
Julia Méndez, originally from Sonora, Mexico, holds a burrito she cooked for Fernando Valenzuela as she walks among souvenirs, flowers and candles placed in his honor.
Back at the stadium, three men stood in the shadows swapping stories about Valenzuela’s exploits on the mound.
Gómez had the opportunity to shake Valenzuela’s hand a couple of times over the years.
“He was really cool, a good guy,” he said. “When you’re famous, that’s the way to be, like Fernando’s way.”
Fans had been gathering outside the stadium since the sad news broke on Tuesday night.
Marcello Ambriz showed a photo of him when he was 2 years old with the pitcher.
“Mexicans wouldn’t be Dodger fans without Fernando,” he said.
The land on which Dodger Stadium sits was purchased from Spanish-speaking owners in the early 1950s by the city of Los Angeles. Initially, they refused to sell and the city used eminent domain to acquire the property from the close-knit Mexican-American families, many of whom lived there after being discriminated against in other parts of the city.
“There are a lot of very sad feelings about it,” Ambriz said. ‘Fernando was able to fix that somehow. Obviously today there are a lot of people who are hurt and can’t let it go, and that’s understandable, but Fernando’s presence and him being Mexican was able to unite that.’
Valenzuela would have turned 64 on Nov. 1, when the Dodgers could host Game 6 of the World Series. Next Friday is also Día de los Muertos, or Dia de los Muertos, in Mexican culture, when deceased loved ones are honored.
“There is no reason to be sad because he lives forever in our hearts,” Mendez said. “He achieved the American dream, more than the American dream really.”
