Fernando Valenzuela

Latinos didn't sell baseball tickets. Until "Fernandomania."

Following the trail blazed by Caribbean baseball legends like Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda and Juan Marichal, Fernando Valenzuela set off a fan frenzy in 1981 after winning the first eight starts of his rookie season. Nicknamed "El Toro," the pudgy Valenzuela attracted large crowds of Hispanic fans in Los Angeles who wanted to see first-hand his signature screwball and unorthodox delivery: a high leg kick with both arms raised high above his head and a quick glance at the heavens. Manager Tommy Lasorda recalls how Fernandomania soon went mainstream and national: "Every ballpark we went to, they wanted to see this lefty pitcher who looked up in the sky…I still don't know how he did that."

By the end of his first year, the Sonora, Mexico-born Valenzuela helped the Dodgers defeat the feared New York Yankees in the World Series. He was rewarded for his efforts, becoming the only pitcher to win both the Rookie of the Year award and the Cy Young Award in the same season. A six-time all-star, Valenzuela played for the Dodgers until 1990 and spent the rest of the decade fighting for a starting spot on various teams, including the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres. In 2005, Valenzuela was named to the MLB Latino Legends team, both for his on-field exploits and for helping to popularize baseball among West Coast Latinos.

Valenzuela is currently a Spanish-language color commentator for Los Angeles Dodgers radio broadcasts. Jaime Jarrín, who has called Dodger games for nearly half a century, experienced "Fernandomania" firsthand: "Fernando turned so many people from Mexico, Central America, South America into fans."