No Dodger was a better fit for Los Angeles than legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela

LOS ANGELES — There weren't many things that captivated baseball like the phenomenon of “Fernandomania.”

When 19-year-old Fernando Valenzuela won the title in his MLB debut for the Dodgers on September 15, 1980, no one knew what the young southpaw's career would hold. But for the next seven years, the pride of Etchohuaquila, Mexico would become the face of the franchise.

Valenzuela, who died on Tuesday at the age of 63, leaves behind not only great achievements but also great pride in the team he represented and the country in which he was born.

The 1981 season was a whirlwind for the Dodgers legend. It was his first full season in the major leagues and it was the season that made him an icon. Valenzuela quickly established himself as the premier team in baseball and became a favorite of fans in Los Angeles, the United States and Mexico, where his fame grew even faster. The 20-year-old thrived in Dodger blue.

Valenzuela delivered perhaps one of the best rookie seasons of all time with a 2.48 ERA and 196 strikeouts. He was the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and the NL Cy Young Award. He also helped lead the Dodgers to the 1981 World Series title, the franchise's fifth.

Over the next nine seasons, Valenzuela was an integral part of the Dodgers' rotation, taking his place as the next in a long line of Dodgers pitching greats including Sandy Koufax, Don Sutton and Don Drysdale. In his final Dodgers season in 1990, the man nicknamed “El Toro” scored the last big hit of his storied career by throwing a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Valenzuela played six more seasons with the Angels, Orioles, Phillies, Padres and Cardinals. He finished his career with a record of 173-153, an ERA of 3.54, a WAR of 41.5 and 2,074 strikeouts. He also made six All-Star appearances with 113 complete games and 31 shutouts.

There was perhaps no player better suited to a city than Valenzuela to Los Angeles. In the state's largest city with the largest Mexican-American population, Valenzuela became larger than life. Even today, among the normally sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium, hundreds if not thousands still wear Valenzuela's No. 34 jersey, which the team retired last season.

Valenzuela's cultural significance also cannot be underestimated, given the once strained relationship between the team and its Latino fan base. From the Los Angeles Times obituary of Valenzuela:

In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the team he loved and became a color analyst for the Dodgers' Spanish-language broadcast, a role he held until he took a leave of absence before that MLB postseason to focus on his health.

The Dodgers, who will play Game 1 of the World Series on Friday in Los Angeles, will play with heavy hearts, mourning the loss of one of the franchise's greatest players and also one of the sport's greatest ambassadors.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement Tuesday night reflecting on Valenzuela's legacy and confirming that his memory will be honored during the World Series:

As they prepare to face the Yankees – who coincidentally Valenzuela helped the Dodgers win in the 1981 World Series – Valenzuela's death gives the team further motivation to bring a championship back to LA as they mourn the loss of one of the franchise's legends and her celebrate.