A vote was recently placed in order to determine who would be the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ultimately, only one player garnered a spot — and that was former Dodgers infielder Jeff Kent.
Those who support the New York Yankees were quiet upset over Don Mattingly not garnering a spot. As it pertains to the Dodgers fan base, the unfortunate result had Fernando Valenzuela yet again missing out on posthumously being named to the Hall of Fame.
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Players needed to reach the 75th percent mark in order to be in, and Valenzuela did not receive enough votes to qualify. Due to Valenzuela getting less than five votes, he will not be up for possible inclusion in 2028. The next time Valenzuela can be voted into the Hall of Fame will be in 2031.
The six-time All-Star won the Cy Young Award and the Rookie of the Year Award in the same season. Valenzuela won 173 games over the course of his historic career. He was known for his durability and penchant for going deep into games. However, to those in Los Angeles, Valenzuela meant much more.
Hailing from Mexico, Valenzuela was someone much of the fanbase could relate to given the Hispanic culture deeply-rooted in the greater Los Angeles area. He was “my guy” for millions of Dodgers fans across North America.
“Fernandomania” took the city by storm, and made it cool to be a Dodgers fan. The excitement he brought to the mound on a weekly basis was something not quantifiable — and surely something not fully appreciated by those who resided outside of Los Angeles during Valenzuela’s apex prime.
Valenzuela had nine years with double-digit wins. He nabbed a career-high 21 victories in 1986 (while also winning a Gold Glove for good measure).
Once his career ended, Valenzuela still remained heavily tied to the franchise. He joined the team in 2003 as a Spanish speaking commentator. Valenzuela, raising his family in Los Angeles, also started making television appearances.
Sadly, Valenzuela passed in October of 2024 due to a battle with cancer.
While the iconic pitcher hasn’t yet gotten his well-deserved place into the Hall of Fame, there’s still another opportunity for voters to get it right down the line.
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Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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