When the World Series begins Friday night at Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have a No. 34 patch on their uniforms to honor left-hander Fernando Valenzuela. Valenzuela died earlier this week at age 63. He stepped away from the team's Spanish language broadcast booth several weeks earlier this focus on his health.
Here is the patch the Dodgers will wear during the World Series and also next season:
In memory of our hero Fernando Valenzuela, the Dodgers will wear this uniform patch during the World Series and throughout the 2025 season. pic.twitter.com/7HozGMf2Tr
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 24, 2024
"Fernando Valenzuela was one of the most impactful players of his generation," commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "... We will honor Fernando's memory during the 2024 World Series at Dodger Stadium. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Fernando's family, the Dodgers, his friends across the game, and all the loyal baseball fans of Mexico."
"Fernandomania" captivated Dodgers fans and baseball in general in the early 1980s. As a 20-year-old rookie in 1981, Valenzuela won his first eight starts, completed seven of them, and threw five shutouts. He won the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards that season, and led the Dodgers to the 1981 World Series championship over the Yankees.
Valenzuela played 11 seasons with the Dodgers from 1980-90 before moving on to other teams. After his playing days were over, he spent over 20 years broadcasting Dodgers games. The team retired his No. 34 in 2023. Valenzuela is, by any measure, the greatest Mexican-born player in MLB history.
