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Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela dies at 63 – NBC Los Angeles

Los Angeles Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela has died after being hospitalized for an unspecified health issue earlier this month, the Dodgers confirmed Tuesday.

Valenzuela was 63 years old.

The Mexico native was considered one of the legendary players in Major League Baseball history as the dominant southpaw became the first and only player to win the Cy Young Award and the Rookie of the Year Award in the same season in 1981.

Because he also became the first rookie to lead the National League in strikeouts in 1981, the Dodgers won the World Series that season.

Nicknamed “El Toro,” the Bull, by his fans, Valenzuela attracted scores of Mexican-American fans to Dodger games, sparking a craze known as Fernandomania.

Valenzuela retired from baseball after the 1997 season and finished his career with a 173-153 record and a 3.54 ERA. He played in 453 games and made 424 starts.

In 2003, he returned to the Dodgers as a Spanish-language broadcaster.

His No. 34 was one of twelve retired by the Dodgers.

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