MIKE BURKE
Allegany Communications Sports
So the World Series starts tonight with the New York Yankees facing the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time since 1981 when the Dodgers won the title in six games. That was the third meeting in the Fall Classic in five seasons between the teams, as the Yankees won in 1977 and 1978 in six games.
They were exciting series in 1977 and ‘78, as it was the Bronx Zoo Yankees of Billy Martin and Bob Lemon with great players such as Thurman Munson, Chris Chambliss, Willie Randolph, Bucky Dent, Graig Nettles, Lou Piniella, Mickey Rivers, Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Catfish Hunter and Goose Gossage.
Not to be outdone, manager Tommy Lasorda’s Dodgers had a galaxy of stars themselves with Steve Yeager, narcissist Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, Ron Cey, Dusty Baker, Rick Monday, Reggie Smith, Don Sutton, Tommy John and so on.
The 1981 World Series, though, was different. It wasn’t blockbuster; it was subtle, if you can believe an LA-NY World Series could have been subtle.
For beginners, it was the World Series of the only split season in Major League history, as the regular-season had been interrupted by a 50-day players strike.
The Yankees were in the process of phasing out Reggie Jackson and phasing in Dave Winfield, who had signed what was then deemed to have been an outrageous 10-year, $23-million contract. Soon after, however, Winfield would be called “Mr. May” by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner after going a very un-Mr. October-like 1-for-22 against the Dodgers, and then asking for the ball after he had secured his first World Series hit.
It was also the World Series in which Stenbrenner claimed to have broken his hand in “defending New York” after he said he had been pushed around by a couple of punk Dodgers fans as he was leaving a Dodger Stadium elevator. There were, of course, no witnesses to the alleged confrontation.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, were pretty much the same outfit that had dropped two six-game series to the Yankees in ‘77 and ‘78, with one notable exception: a 20-year-old rookie lefthander by the name of Fernando Valenzuela, who, it is safe to say, was a difference maker – in every imaginable capacity.
Straight from the dusty mounds of Mexico, Valenzuela, who died Tuesday at the age of 63, captivated Los Angeles and fans around the world by winning each of his first eight starts of the season for the Dodgers. The stretch included seven complete games and five shutouts. He struck out 68 and allowed four earned runs in 72 innings for a 0.50 ERA during the magical run.
It soon came to be known as Fernandomania, a phenomenon that still resonates with baseball fans who were lucky enough to experience it when it happened.
Valenzuela’s windup – the leg kick and the way he looked to the heavens before throwing each pitch – remains one of the most famous deliveries in baseball history. Most importantly, he became a cultural hero and a symbol of hope, as his rise in the early 1980s came as Latinos and Mexican-Americans struggled to find a sense of belonging.
Fernando won 174 games in his career with over 2,000 strikeouts and a 3.54 ERA. He was a six-time all-star and could also hit, winning two Silver Slugger awards. He had 10 career home runs and batted .368 when he was used as a pinch-hitter.
He averaged 14 complete games from 1981 through 1987 and pitched 20 complete games in 1986 when he won 21 games.
For all of the shutouts, perhaps his most impressive performance came in Game 3 of the 1981 World Series when he gave up nine hits and seven walks, yet gutted out a 147-pitch complete-game victory over the Yankees.
He was supremely talented, but he pitched with pure heart during his entire career. In fact, he spent the 1993 season pitching for the Baltimore Orioles and handed the eventual world champion Toronto Blue Jays their only shutout of the season. He would also be named the American League Pitcher of the Month in July, and pitched five complete games and two shutouts.
Camden Yards was in just its second season and was selling out every day and night, but the place always had a little extra buzz when Fernando pitched, even though his better days were clearly behind him.
When Fernando Valenzuela pitched, it was appointment baseball.
Particularly when he exploded onto the scene out of nowhere in 1981, to see this chubby lefthander, who dominated hitters from the mound and who was an excellent hitter himself, it brought a sense of wonder as to his maybe being the reincarnation of Babe Ruth having come back to finish some unfinished business as a pitcher.
That was the kind of mystery and mystique that Fernando Valenzuela brought to the game, and he played with such joy in his heart that you could see it on his sleeve.
There will not be a dry eye in Dodger Stadium tonight when Fernando is remembered prior to Game 1. There won’t be many dry eyes anywhere.
This is how Fernando Valenzuela genuinely and affectionately touched baseball and all of its fans.
Mike Burke writes about sports and other stuff for Allegany Communications. He began covering sports for the Prince George’s Sentinel in 1981 and joined the Cumberland Times-News sports staff in 1984, serving as sports editor for over 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @MikeBurkeMDT