Los Angeles Dodgers to Retire Fernando Valenzuela’s Jersey Number

It’s a special retirement for Fernando Valenzuela.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will retire the No. 34 jersey of the 62-year-old Mexican former professional baseball pitcher during a three-day celebration this summer.

Fernando Valenzuela,He’ll become the first Latino player to have his number retired by the Dodgers.

Valenzuela was part of two World Series champion teams, winning the 1981 Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards. He was a six-time MLB All-Star during his 11 seasons in Los Angeles from 1980-90.

He’ll be honored from August 11-13 when the Dodgers host Colorado.

Valenzuela will join Pee Wee Reese, Tommy Lasorda, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Jim Gilliam, Don Sutton, Walter Alston, Sandy Koufax, Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson and Don Drysdale with retired numbers.

“To be a part of the group that includes so many legends is a great honor,” Valenzuela said. “But also for the fans, the support they’ve given me as a player and working for the Dodgers, this is also for them.”

Valenzuela Inducted into Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame

Fernando Valenzuela has earned his place in the hall

The 52-year-old legendary Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed pitcher and current Dodgers Spanish-language broadcaster will be inducted into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend during a ceremony at the Universidad Sonora as part of the Caribbean Series in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Fernando Valenzuela

Valenzuela, born in Sonora, is being honored for his Major League Baseball career and his Mexican league play. Like those at Cooperstown, the Caribbean winter league inductees are required to be named on 75 percent of the ballots. Valenzuela garnered 175 of a potential 200 points.

During his illustrious career, Valenzuela was named an MLB All-Star for six consecutive years (1981-1986), earned his World Series champion ring in 1981 and won the Gold Glove Award (1986). He was also a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1981, 1983), the 1981 National League Cy Young Award and was named the 1981 National League Rookie of the Year.

Fernando Valenzuela

Valenzuela made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 1980 as a 19-year-old with an exceptional screwball and spent 17 years in the majors.

Valenzuela threw out the first pitch Friday in the new 16,000-seat Estadio Sonora ballpark before the opening game of the 2013 Caribbean World Series between Mexico’s Yaquis de Obregón and the Dominican Republic’s Leones del Escogido.

Cardinals Pitcher Garcia Making World Series History…

Pitcher Jaime García will become the first Mexican hurler in 30 years to start a World Series game tonight when his St. Louis Cardinals take on the Texas Rangers in Game 2.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Fernando Valenzuela—who touched off the “Fernandomania” craze in Mexico and the U.S. in the early ‘80s with his youthful charm, diabolical screwball pitch and strong connection to the Latino community—was the last Mexican pitcher to start a game on baseball’s biggest stage on October 23, 1981 in Game 3 against the New York Yankees.

“That’s really exciting. Really feel very proud because of that,” the 25-year-old García, who was born in Reynosa, Mexico and raised in South Texas, told reporters during a pregame media session this week. “I’m thrilled to hear that, and I’m going to go out there and represent the team, my family and not only my hometown but the whole country of Mexico.”

“I know they’ve been really good, watching me the whole year in these playoffs, and I’m really proud of that,” he added.

Cardinals’ manager Tony LaRussa has complete faith in his young pitcher, especially after his team beat the Rangers 3-2 in the series opener on Wednesday night.

“In the two years he’s been with us, not only is he a very talented pitcher, but he’s pitched very well,” says LaRussa, who’s team signed García to a four-year, $27.5 million contract, plus club options for 2016 and 2017, earlier this year. “You have to remember that he is young, and there are times when he has an issue that he’s learning how to make the adjustments; two or three years from now, he’s going to get better and better.”

Even though Garcia has a ways to go before drawing comparisons to the legendary Valenzuela—who won 173 games over 15 Major League seasons—he can probably count on the same type of support from south of the border, St. Louis and beyond as he makes history tonight!