Valenzuela, a 20-year-old left-hander from Mexico, had burst onto the scene earlier that year, captivating fans with his unique pitching style and incredible success. He had begun the season with an astonishing eight straight wins, including five shutouts, and had become a sensation known as "Fernandomania."
On this particular day, Valenzuela was locked in a pitchers' duel with Astros starter Nolan Ryan, another legendary pitcher. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the eighth inning when Dodgers outfielder Pedro Guerrero hit a solo home run to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.
Valenzuela took the mound in the top of the ninth inning, looking to secure the victory. He quickly retired the first two batters, but then the Astros managed to get a runner on base with a single. The next batter hit a deep fly ball to right field, sending the Dodger Stadium crowd into a frenzy as they anticipated the final out.
Dodgers right fielder Mike Marshall, known for his strong arm, caught the ball and fired a strike to home plate, where catcher Mike Scioscia was waiting to tag out the potential tying run. Scioscia caught the ball and tagged the runner out, sealing the 1-0 victory for the Dodgers and Valenzuela.
The image of Valenzuela jumping into Scioscia's arms as the team celebrated the win became one of the most iconic photographs in baseball history, capturing the excitement and emotion of "Fernandomania" and the Dodgers' incredible season.
Valenzuela finished the year with a remarkable 13-7 record, a 2.48 ERA, and 180 strikeouts, winning the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards. He became the first player to win both awards in the same season, cementing his place in baseball history.
The game on September 26, 1981, was just one of many highlights in Valenzuela's incredible rookie season, but it remains a defining moment in Dodgers history and a testament to the impact he had on the sport. "Fernandomania" captivated fans not only in Los Angeles but around the world, and Valenzuela's success helped pave the way for future generations of Latin American players in Major League Baseball.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Episode Transcript
Welcome to This Moment in Sports History podcast. On September
twenty sixth, nineteen eighty one, one of the most iconic
moments in baseball history occurred during a game between the
Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers rookie pitcher Fernando Velentzula, who had taken the baseball
(00:22):
world by storm that season, was on the mound facing
the Astros. Thelenzuela, a twenty year old left hander from Mexico,
had burst onto the scene earlier that year, captivating fans
with his unique pitching style. An incredible success, he had
begun the season with an astonishing eight straight wins, including
(00:42):
five shutouts, and had become a sensation known as Fernando Mania.
On this particular day, the Lenzuela was locked in a
pitcher's duel with Astro starter Nolan Ryan, another legendary pitcher.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the eighth inning,
when Dodgers outfield Pedro Guerrero hit a solo home run
(01:02):
to give Los Angeles a one zero lead. Valenzuela took
the mound in the top of the ninth inning. Looking
to secure the victory, He quickly retired the first two batters,
but then the Astros managed to get a runner on
base with a single. The next batter hit a deep
flyball to right field, sending the Dodgers stidium crowd into
a frenzy as they anticipated the final out. Dodgers' right
(01:25):
fielder Mike Marshall, known for his strong arm, caught the
ball and fired a strike to home plate, where catcher
Mike Siosha was waiting to tag out the potential tying run.
Seosha caught the ball and tagged the runner out, sealing
the one zero victory for the Dodgers and Valenzuela. The
image of Valenzuela jumping into Seiosha's arms as the team
celebrated the win became one of the most iconic photographs
(01:48):
in baseball history, capturing the excitement and emotion of Fernandomania
in the dodgers incredible season, Valenzuela finished the year with
a remarkable thirteen to seven record, a two point four
A and one hundred and eighty strikeouts, winning the National
League Rookie of the Year and cy Young Awards. He
became the first player to win both awards in the
(02:09):
same season, cementing his place in baseball history. The game
on September twenty sixth, nineteen eighty one was just one
of many highlights in Valenzuela's incredible rookie season, but it
remains a defining moment in Dodger's history and a testament
to the impact he had on the sport. What Fernando
Mania captivated fans not only in Los Angeles but around
(02:32):
the world, and Valenzuela's success helped pave the way for
future generations of Latin American players in Major League Baseball.
And that wraps it up. Join us tomorrow and be
sure to hit that subscribe button so you never miss
a daily slice of sports history. This has been a
quiet Please Studios Production. For more check out Quiet Please
(02:53):
dot Ai. Thank you for listening.
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