1960
Born November 1, 1960
Navojoa, Sonora, México
Fernando Valenzuela Marquee
b. November 1, 1960 · Los Angeles Dodgers 1980–1990, California Angels 1991, Baltimore Orioles 1993, Philadelphia Phillies 1994, San Diego Padres 1995–1997, St. Louis Cardinals 1997
He pitched ten times in relief for Los Angeles in September 1980 and allowed no earned runs. The next year, at twenty, he made 25 starts in a season cut short by a strike, completed eleven, threw eight shutouts and struck out 180, leading the National League in both. The crowds that followed him, in Los Angeles and in Mexico, were the story of that summer.
He was 21-11 in 1986 and led the league in wins, with twenty complete games and a Gold Glove. He could hit, and won Silver Sluggers in 1981 and 1983. He was an All-Star in each of his first six full seasons, and he threw a no-hitter against St. Louis on June 29, 1990.
He finished 173-153 with 2,074 strikeouts, 113 complete games and 31 shutouts in seventeen seasons for six clubs, with an earned run average of 3.54. The record has no 1992 season for him. The writers gave him 31 votes in 2003 and 19 in 2004, and a veterans ballot for 2026 did not elect him. He died in October 2024.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 6 | 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 |
| Pitcher of the Month | 3 | 1981, 1985, 1993 |
| Player of the Week | 3 | 1981, 1986, 1990 |
| Silver Slugger | 2 | 1981, 1983 |
| The Sporting News All-Star | 2 | 1981, 1986 |
| Cy Young Award | 1 | 1981 |
| Gold Glove | 1 | 1986 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 | 1981 |
| The Sporting News Major League Player of the Year | 1 | 1981 |
| The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year | 1 | 1981 |
| The Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year | 1 | 1981 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | LAD | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| 1981 | LAD | 25 | 64 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 0 | .250 |
| 1982 | LAD | 38 | 95 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 16 | 0 | .168 |
| 1983 | LAD | 36 | 91 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 23 | 0 | .187 |
| 1984 | LAD | 35 | 79 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 0 | .190 |
| 1985 | LAD | 35 | 97 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 | .216 |
| 1986 | LAD | 39 | 109 | 5 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 | .220 |
| 1987 | LAD | 38 | 92 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 | .141 |
| 1988 | LAD | 23 | 44 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | .182 |
| 1989 | LAD | 34 | 66 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 0 | .182 |
| 1990 | LAD | 35 | 69 | 8 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 0 | .304 |
| 1991 | CAL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1993 | BAL | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | PHI | 8 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .250 |
| 1995 | SDP | 29 | 32 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .250 |
| 1996 | SDP | 36 | 63 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | .143 |
| 1997 | SDP/STL | 19 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .182 |
| Career | — | 474 | 936 | 56 | 187 | 26 | 1 | 10 | 84 | 8 | 145 | 0 | .200 |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | LAD | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 17.2 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 0.00 |
| 1981 | LAD | 13 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 192.1 | 140 | 53 | 61 | 180 | 2.48 |
| 1982 | LAD | 19 | 13 | 37 | 37 | 0 | 285.0 | 247 | 91 | 83 | 199 | 2.87 |
| 1983 | LAD | 15 | 10 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 257.0 | 245 | 107 | 99 | 189 | 3.75 |
| 1984 | LAD | 12 | 17 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 261.0 | 218 | 88 | 106 | 240 | 3.03 |
| 1985 | LAD | 17 | 10 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 272.1 | 211 | 74 | 101 | 208 | 2.45 |
| 1986 | LAD | 21 | 11 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 269.1 | 226 | 94 | 85 | 242 | 3.14 |
| 1987 | LAD | 14 | 14 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 251.0 | 254 | 111 | 124 | 190 | 3.98 |
| 1988 | LAD | 5 | 8 | 23 | 22 | 1 | 142.1 | 142 | 67 | 76 | 64 | 4.24 |
| 1989 | LAD | 10 | 13 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 196.2 | 185 | 75 | 98 | 116 | 3.43 |
| 1990 | LAD | 13 | 13 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 204.0 | 223 | 104 | 77 | 115 | 4.59 |
| 1991 | CAL | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6.2 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 12.15 |
| 1993 | BAL | 8 | 10 | 32 | 31 | 0 | 178.2 | 179 | 98 | 79 | 78 | 4.94 |
| 1994 | PHI | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 45.0 | 42 | 15 | 7 | 19 | 3.00 |
| 1995 | SDP | 8 | 3 | 29 | 15 | 0 | 90.1 | 101 | 50 | 34 | 57 | 4.98 |
| 1996 | SDP | 13 | 8 | 33 | 31 | 0 | 171.2 | 177 | 69 | 67 | 95 | 3.62 |
| 1997 | SDP/STL | 2 | 12 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 89.0 | 106 | 49 | 46 | 61 | 4.96 |
| Career | — | 173 | 153 | 453 | 424 | 2 | 2930.0 | 2718 | 1154 | 1151 | 2074 | 3.54 |
On this day & linked events
2024
Died October 22, 2024
1980
Major-league debut: Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela made a major-league debut on September 15, 1980.
1990
Fernando Valenzuela's No-Hitter
Fernando Valenzuela threw a no-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 29, 1990, winning 6–0.
1997
Final major-league game: Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela played a final major-league game on July 14, 1997.
Image: Jim Accordino, CC BY 2.0