LOS ANGELES — There haven't been many things to captivate baseball like the phenomenon that was “Fernandomania.”
When 19-year-old Fernando Valenzuela took the mound for the Dodgers on Sept. 15, 1980, in his MLB debut, no one knew what the young southpaw’s career had in store. But for the next seven years, the pride of Etchohuaquila, Mexico, would become the face of the franchise.
Valenzuela, who died Tuesday at the age of 63, leaves behind a legacy of not only great performance but also great pride for the team he represented and the country that birthed him.