Fernando Valenzuela, whose now-defunct “horseshoe” screwball graced Major League Baseball (MLB), has died.
He was 63 years old when he passed away on Wednesday, the Associated Press and other U.S. media outlets reported.
The Los Angeles Dodgers organization announced that Valenzuela died at a hospital in Los Angeles, but did not provide an exact cause of death.
“Valenzuela was hospitalized earlier this month after abruptly quitting his job as the Dodgers' Spanish-language commentator last month,” the Associated Press reported.
Valenzuela made his first big league appearance with the Dodgers in 1980, showing promise with two wins and a save in 10 games before making 1981 his year.
In 1981, he started 25 games and went 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA in 192 1/3 innings pitched with 180 strikeouts and 180 walks, winning both the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award.
That strike-shortened season, 카지노사이트 Valenzuela led the league in starts (25), complete games (11), shutouts (8), and strikeouts.
He went on to become a mainstay in the Dodgers organization, pitching more than 250 innings in five consecutive years from 1983 to 1987, before the rigors of the game slowly took their toll.
Eventually released by the Dodgers in 1990, Valenzuela bounced around the league, bouncing between the California Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels), Baltimore Orioles, and other teams before retiring in 1997.
In 453 career games, he had a record of 173 wins, 153 losses, 2,074 strikeouts, and a 3.54 ERA.
After a brief estrangement from the Dodgers following his retirement, Valenzuela returned to the organization as a commentator in 2003, and the organization belatedly retired his No. 34 jersey last year.
Valenzuela's signature pitch was the screwball, which he threw with a unique arm twist.
The screwball is a pitch that is thrown by a left-handed pitcher and travels to the outside of a right-handed hitter, making it a perfect pitch for striking out right-handed batters.
However, the screwball is injury-prone and, crucially, is rarely thrown anymore with the advent of the circle changeup, which has similar movement.
Valenzuela passed away suddenly, just days before the Dodgers and Yankees were set to face off in the World Series.
The World Series, which begins on June 26 at Dodger Stadium, will be the first time the two teams have met in 43 years, since 1981.
Valenzuela pitched Game 3 of the 1981 World Series against the Yankees, when the Dodgers were down 2-0 in the all-time series, and threw a nine-inning, four-hit shutout to start the Dodgers' 4-2 comeback victory.
“Valenzuela is one of the most influential Dodgers players of all time,” said Dodgers Chairman and CEO Stan Karsten. His 1981 performance rallied the fans, and he was close to us as a player and broadcaster. He was taken from us far too soon.”