Late Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers-Yankees World Series performance capped Fernando Valenzuela's iconic 1981 season

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Oct 23, 2024 10:54 AM ET

Baseball lost a legend on Tuesday.

Former Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who became the only player in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award in the same season in 1981, died at 63, three days before Game 1 of the 2024 World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees.

The two iconic franchises last met in the Fall Classic in 1981 during the height of "Fernandomania."

Affectionately known as "El Toro" (which translates to "The Bull"), Valenzuela won Game 3 of the Dodgers' 4-2 series win over the Yankees.

His win was Los Angeles' first in the series after New York took a 2-0 lead. Valenzuela pitched his 13th complete game of the season in the 5-4 home win, allowing four earned runs and striking out six batters on 147 pitches.

It was by no means his best performance, as Valenzuela allowed nine hits, including two home runs, and seven walks, but he held the Yankees to 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and got Yankees outfielder Lou Piniella to strike out swinging for the game's final out.

For all the shutouts, Fernando Valenzuela’s most impressive performance might have been Game 3 of the 1981 World Series, when he gave up 9 hits and 7 walks as he gutted out a 147-pitch complete game victory. Pure heart. RIP to a legend. pic.twitter.com/TRu5A2Vs8W
— Richard Roeper (@RichardERoeper) October 23, 2024

The Dodgers went on to win the next three games to clinch their fifth World Series title.

The championship sealed one of the most impressive seasons by any pitcher in MLB history.

In addition to his Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards and World Series win, Valenzuela also started that season's All-Star Game and had a 35-inning scoreless streak.

Per OptaStats, he's the only player in MLB history to accomplish each of those feats, not just in a single season but for an entire career.

Fernando Valenzuela as a 20-year-old rookie in 1981:

35.0-inning scoreless streak
All-Star Game starting pitcher
Cy Young
Rookie of the Year
World Series title

No other pitcher in MLB history has accomplished all of those feats over his entire career (same season or not). pic.twitter.com/u0mwihfKly
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 23, 2024

It's a wonder why he was never inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

While ESPN notes "several of his artifacts" are at Cooperstown, his career warrants a bronze plaque.

Few pitchers took the league by storm the way Valenzuela did. And at the height of his legendary season, he helped launch the Dodgers to a league title.

Los Angeles' best way to honor Valenzuela's legacy is to rewrite that 1981 ending for a 2024 audience.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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