“A crushing blow” was delivered to the Dodgers and baseball community late Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers confirmed the passing of Fernando Valenzuela. He was 63.
Read more: Dodgers Legendary Pitcher, Broadcaster Fernando Valenzuela Dies at 63
The former pitcher had been hospitalized for weeks with an undisclosed illness that his family wished to keep private.
“This is a crushing blow even though I knew he was in really, really bad shape,” retired broadcaster Jaime Jarrin, who was Valenzuela’s interpreter during his first years in the majors and then as his broadcast partner later, told the Orange County Register.