A public funeral Mass for Fernando Valenzuela — beloved Mexican-born pitcher, Dodgers legend and the inspiration for “Fernandomania” — shall be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday on the Cathedral of Our Girl of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.
Valenzuela died of an undisclosed sickness on Oct. 22 at age 63. His dying left Dodgers followers in mourning throughout Los Angeles, and Valenzuela was remembered quite a few instances throughout this 12 months’s World Collection video games and on the Dodgers’ subsequent victory celebrations.
His funeral procession will start at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday and be adopted by a public Mass with seating out there on a first-come, first-served foundation.
Because the occasion is predicted to attract huge crowds, an overflow viewing space shall be arrange within the Cathedral Plaza and the service shall be livestreamed on the cathedral’s web site. There shall be no public parking out there on the cathedral. Officers are encouraging these hoping to attend the occasion to take public transportation or ride-hailing companies.
Valenzuela, who hailed from the small city of Etchohuaquila within the state of Sonora, Mexico, performed in 17 Main League Baseball seasons from 1980 to 1997, together with 11 seasons with the Dodgers.
His rise from humble beginnings and his distinctive pitching fashion earned him a loyal following, a fervor that gave delivery to the time period “Fernandomania” throughout his exceptional 1981 season with the Boys in Blue. In 1981, he turned the the primary, and stays to today the one, participant to win the Nationwide League Cy Younger and Rookie of the Yr awards in the identical season.
Valenzuela is extensively credited with turning L.A.’s Latino group into Dodgers superfans.
Following his retirement, he served as a Spanish-language radio after which tv commentator for the Dodgers earlier than stepping away from his place within the final week of the 2024 common season because of well being challenges.
“He is without doubt one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” mentioned Stan Kasten, Dodgers crew president and chief govt, in an announcement following Valenzuela’s dying. “He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and has remained near our hearts ever since, not solely as a participant but additionally as a broadcaster.”
Even in dying, Valenzuela was a significant presence at this 12 months’s World Collection video games, the place he was honored with a flowered cross subsequent to his retired No. 34 at Dodger Stadium. Though retired numbers are sometimes reserved for gamers who make it to the Corridor of Fame, a particular exception was made for Valenzuela in 2023 to acknowledge his important contributions to the franchise.
“Fernando will all the time stay a beloved determine in Dodger historical past and a particular supply of pleasure for the hundreds of thousands of Latino followers he impressed,” Main League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred mentioned in an announcement.
The crew’s World Collection victory parade befell Friday on what would have been Valenzuela’s sixty fourth birthday. On the identical day, the Los Angeles Metropolis Council authorised a decision declaring Nov. 1 “Fernando Valenzuela Day.”
“To hundreds of thousands, Fernando Valenzuela was greater than a baseball participant. He was an icon that transcended the boundaries of hope and desires,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass mentioned in an announcement. “He was the voice of a sport that we maintain shut in our hearts. His charisma was palpable, and his excellence was plain.”
On Sunday, a six-story mural depicting Valenzuela pitching was unveiled in Boyle Heights. The colossal piece of public artwork was created by Robert Vargas and faces a mural that Vargas painted of one other legendary pitcher, Shohei Ohtani, on 1st Road.
“Fernando Valenzuela has meant a lot to Boyle Heights and to this nice metropolis of Los Angeles: a person whose life represents braveness, resilience, inspiration for all Latinos and for folks of all backgrounds within the nice metropolis of L.A.,” mentioned Metropolis Councilmember Kevin de León throughout an unveiling ceremony. “Fernando’s story has touched all of us. He didn’t simply pitch, he elevated hearts, he shattered limitations, and united this metropolis.”
Metropolis Information Service contributed to this report.