Dodgers, fans honor legacy of Fernando Valenzuela before Game 1 of World Series – Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES — On an October Friday in Dodger Stadium, just shy of his 21st birthday, Fernando Valenzuela delighted a full house when he gutted his way through a rough outing to beat the New York Yankees and reverse the course of the 1981 World Series.

Whether the fans were the 12-year-old Mexican American kid next to his dad in the top row of the reserved level in seats they were selected to buy in a postcard drawing or the longtime season ticket holders far closer to the action, they were enthralled throughout what turned out to be the final start of Valenzuela’s spectacular rookie season.

On an October Friday 43 years (and two days) later, fans gathered again to pay tribute and say goodbye to one of the most beloved Dodgers before, appropriately, Game 1 of the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees. Valenzuela died Tuesday, at 63 years old after an illness that his family has kept private.

Juan Carlos Gonzalez from Eastvale made sure to get a picture of Valenzuela’s No. 34 at the top deck level entrance to Dodger Stadium among the team’s other retired numbers.

“Fernando was a great representative of our Mexican heritage and was a huge part of why people loved the Dodgers for a long time,” said Gonzalez, who at 43 said he was too young to see Valenzuela play but still understands why he was revered in Los Angeles.

Gonzalez said it was important enough to be at Game 1 with his son, Andre, for the tribute to Valenzuela that he bought tickets on the secondary market late Friday morning.

“It wasn’t cheap, but it’s worth it,” he said.

Linda Avila from Gardena showed up Friday in the No. 34 jersey she’s owned for 10 years and wore to each Dodgers playoff game since the team announced that Valenzuela had been hospitalized.

Her husband Nacho remembered attending the Dodgers’ home opener in Valenzuela’s first season – a last-minute start in place of injured teammate Jerry Reuss – when Avila bought 80 tickets for friends and family to join in the fun.

“So many great memories,” said Nacho Avila, a longtime season ticket holder. “It’s great to be here on a day they’re honoring him.”

The path to Dodger Stadium was easy to follow Friday. One No. 34 jersey after another showed the way, starting in the line for taquitos at Olvera Street’s Cielito Lindo and stopping briefly at the Dodger Stadium sign on Vin Scully Avenue, where the first flowers were placed within an hour of the Dodgers’ announcement of Valenzuela’s death. The memorial on Friday included funeral sprays, balloons, Mexican flags, photos and messages to a local hero.