‘Fernandomania’ was big, but ‘Nomomania’ was bigger

TOKYO — Fernando Valenzuela died recently. The former Los Angeles Dodgers star passed away at an LA hospital on Oct. 22 from septic shock. He was only 63. For those younger readers who don’t know about Valenzuela, he was a huge star for many years, a left hander with a devasting screwball and an unorthodox pitching motion. Born in Sonora, Mexico, the youngest of 12 children, he was an instant hit.

After spending his rookie season in 1980, as a reliever, the left-handed Valenzuela burst into stardom the following year, pitching a shutout in his first MLB start, on Opening Day, and went on to win his first 8 contests, including seven complete games, five shutouts and an amazing ERA of 0.50. His unusual, flamboyant pitching motion in which he appeared to look up at the sky at the peak of his windup, confounded MLB batters.