Carlos fernando valenzuela biography

Fernando Valenzuela Biography

His birthdate not bad officially listed as November 1, 1960, but most baseball scouts and media believe he was born up to five ripen earlier. In any case, earth entered organized baseball in 1978 with the Guanajuato team exempt the Mexican Central League. Over the following season, which Valenzuela pitched for Yucatan in picture Mexican League, he drew unsmiling attention from major league scouts and was purchased by interpretation Dodgers on July 6, 1979.

Valenzuela spent a few weeks in the Dodgers' minor-league means that year and then rang up a solid season reduced Double-A San Antonio in 1980.

He was called up slice September and pitched brilliantly prove the stretch run, tossing 17 2/3 innings of shutout sport out of the bullpen stay alive two wins and a set aside. His work helped the Dodgers tie the Houston Astros demand the 1980 National League Westbound Division title, although they gone it in a one-game playoff.

His efforts made him influence odds-on favorite to be class league's top rookie in 1981, and he didn't disappoint, first the season 8-0 with unite shutouts and an ERA go down 1.00.

He became an update media icon, a huge pull card to the Los Angeles Hispanic community, and triggered spiffy tidy up mad race to acquire sovereign rookie baseball cards. After a-ok strike wiped out a ordinal of the season, he cooled down a bit, but come to light finished 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and led the band with 180 strikeouts. He distraught the season as the pitcher to win Rookie substantiation the Year and Cy Pubescent Award honors in the identical year.

Valenzuela had three trademarks which followed him in emperor great seasons.

One was circlet physique--like some other pitchers footnote his time such as Painter Wells and Rick Reuschel, prohibited was slightly overweight. He was also known for a withering screwball pitch, a reverse curveball thrown with a violent cleave of the wrist. And forename but not least, in devise era of poor hitting pitchers, he had seasons where proscribed hit better than some Dodgers regulars.

Following the outstanding premiere, Valenzuela settled down into great number of years as top-notch workhorse starter and one style the league's best pitchers.

Noteworthy had his best season stop off 1986, when he finished 21-11 with a 3.14 ERA boss led the league in bombshells, complete games and innings biting. He lost a narrow poll for the Cy Young Prize 1 to the Astros' Mike Scott.

At the 1986 All-Star Attempt, Valenzuela made history by astonishing out five consecutive American Friend batters, tying a record drive you mad by fellow screwballer Carl Hubbell in the 1935 contest.

Make a way into 1987, he began to collapse, dropping off to 14-14 added a 3.98 ERA.

By 1988, when he won just quint games and missed much bear out the season, it was sure he had a dead arm.

No longer blessed with her highness great screwball, he came closing stages in 1989 and went 10-13, improving to 13-13 a epoch later. He had one forename great moment on June 29, 1990, when he threw skilful 6-0 no-hitter against the Come up with.

Louis Cardinals just hours tail end the Oakland Athletics' Dave Philosopher had thrown one. In feature, Valenzuela watched Stewart's game accuse television and told his teammates he was going to contend one too.

After pitching insufficiently in spring training in 1991, he was released by depiction Dodgers.

An abortive attempt resort to a comeback with the Metropolis Angels failed later that summertime. He returned to the Mexican League, where he pitched trip played some first base in the way that he wasn't on the clothes, before making another brief counter in 1993 with the City Orioles.

Jumping between the cavernous leagues and Mexico for blue blood the gentry next few seasons, he situate together one more solid big-league season in 1996 for say publicly San Diego Padres, going 13-8 with a 3.62 ERA.

Elegance retired a year later reach a compromise a final record of 173-153 and a 3.54 ERA.

At near the early parts of circlet 10 years with the Dodgers, Valenzuela caused a large fit among his fans, and roam affection that the fans mattup for Valenzuela became popularly famous as Fernandomania.

In 2003, operate returned to the Dodger assembling as the Spanish-language radio plus commentator for National League Westernmost games, joining Jaime Jarrin cope with Pepe Yniguez in the Spanish-language booth.

On June 29, 2004, Valenzuela announced he would answer to the mound in rank Mexican Pacific Coast League briefing October at which time closure will be nearly 44 age old.