On Aug. 11, 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers retired Fernando Valenzuela’s No. 34 that kicked off a special three-day celebration at Dodger Stadium dubbed “Fernandomania” weekend.
Valenzuela became the 12th player to have his number retired by the Dodgers. He was also inducted into the Dodger Stadium Ring of Honor, becoming the 14th person to join the exclusive club. The group now sits at 15 with Walter O’Malley’s inclusion.
The Dodgers held a pregame ceremony that included special guests Sandy Koufax, Mike Scioscia, United States senator Alex Padilla, team president and CEO Stan Kasten, and broadcasters Charley Steiner and Jaime Jarrín.
The Valenzuela family was also in attendance for the event. “I believe so,” Valenzuela said when asked if it was one of the greatest days of his life. “This is a very emotional day.”
Valenzuela is one of the most influential players in Dodgers franchise history but his No. 34 remained unretired for many years due to the team’s unofficial policy of only retiring uniform numbers of players who were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“It means a lot,” Valenzuela said of the Dodgers’ decision to reverse course. “That number was open, but nobody used it. I don’t know if that was a decision from the clubhouse manager, but it surprised me because it’s not a high number, it’s not 76, 77, 78, and nobody used it.”
Valenzuela was a six-time All-Star, the 1981 National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award winner, and part of two World Series teams in his 11 seasons with the Dodgers.
Valenzuela earned the nickname “El Toro” and helped grow the Dodgers fanbase, especially within the Mexican community. He retired from baseball in 1997 and has spent the past 19 seasons as a Spanish-language color commentator for the Dodgers.
Fernando Valenzuela joins Dodgers Ring of Honor
Valenzuela is part of a Dodgers Ring of Honor that includes Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Jim Gilliam, Don Sutton, Koufax, Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson and Don Drysdale, managers Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda, broadcasters Jarrín and Vin Scully, and former owner Walter O’Malley.
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