Jerry Reuss had a spectacular 1980 — the kind of season that the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander hoped would fuel the next chapter of his career. He’d pitched 37 games, hurled six shutouts, and finished second in Cy Young Award voting. Armed with a “new toy,” a cutter, it was a no-brainer for the Dodgers to start him on Opening Day the following spring.
“And the rest, they say, is history,” Reuss recalled Wednesday by phone.
It was Fernando Valenzuela — an unknown 20-year-old from the small Mexican town of Etchohuaquila — who assumed the start and sparked “FernandoMania” that day.
Valenzuela died on Tuesday. He was 63 years old and he left behind an unmatched legacy as perhaps the definitive Los Angeles Dodger.
All because of Reuss and his footnote in baseball history.
“There were times Fernando was pitching, I’d go out on the bench and just kind of watch things and try to take it all in,” Reuss said. “And I thought, ‘How long will this last? Where will it all go?’ The only answer I could ever come up with: Time will tell. So time has told.”
Reuss’ place in the lore of FernandoMania came in the hours before Opening Day in 1981. The veteran left-hander had looked to maximize what had been a career-best season, and noted throughout the spring his legs had felt tired from his offseason preparation. Still, it shocked everyone what happened on the eve of the season, when Reuss broke for a ball while shagging during batting practice.
“I was running down a fly ball in the outfield again, thinking I’m Superman or Mickey Mantle, either one,” Reuss said. He felt his calf pull as the ball scooted by him. A quick evaluation ruled him out from starting the next day. Burt Hooton couldn’t pitch either, dealing with an ingrown toenail. Bob Welch was unavailable. The exhibition Freeway Series had ruled out several of manager Tommy Lasorda’s other options. So he turned to Valenzuela, who had already thrown a full bullpen that day.
Valenzuela threw a five-hit shutout against the Houston Astros, showcasing his iconic screwball and windup and giving a Mexican American community that had shunned the Dodgers something they could connect with: a star who looked like them.
Fernando Valenzuela took the baseball world by storm in 1981. (Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)
“I wouldn’t doubt if they, after that ball game, stopped at the ticket counter, figured out when Fernando’s next start at home was going to be, and bought tickets for it,” Reuss said.
They’d have to wait a little while as the legend grew. Valenzuela twirled a one-run complete game in San Francisco in his second start while striking out 10. He struck out 10 again in a shutout in San Diego in his third. In his next, he twirled another shutout, this time in Houston. That was halfway through his ridiculous stretch — when he became one of just two pitchers ever to win his first eight career starts. He finished all of them, too.
“It was a legend in the making,” Reuss said.
The legend grew so large by the middle of the summer that the attention consumed the club itself.
Each successive road trip brought enough of a media presence that Valenzuela would conduct press conferences at the start of each series to help manage congestion in the clubhouses. With iconic Spanish-language broadcaster Jaime Jarrín serving as his voice and interpreter by his side, the mania that made the 20-year-old a household name took full swing.
“It’s similar to what you see with (Shohei) Ohtani,” Reuss said. “What a difference it made to the extent that every time we went to a different city on the road, the clubhouses couldn’t accommodate all of the people from the press that wanted to get a piece of Fernando.”
It was drastic enough that Lasorda called a meeting with each of his pitchers to try to avoid an issue before it could begin. He gathered Reuss, Hooton, Welch, Rick Sutcliffe and Dave Goltz. If they felt it was going to be an issue, Lasorda said, the Dodgers would organize regular press conferences for them, too.
Reuss looked over at Hooton. They broke out laughing.
“Most important,” Reuss said, “he was winning games for us.”
GO DEEPER
A tribute to Fernando Valenzuela, the mystical lefty with the miracle screwball
Reuss marveled at the connection between Valenzuela and catcher Mike Scioscia, who caught 23 of Valenzuela’s 25 starts as a rookie and more than half of his career games. Scioscia, with his eye for gameplans, and Valenzuela, with his endless and dazzling arsenal, were an ideal fit. So was Valenzuela with a community that had not seen a star like him before — and hasn’t since.
Valenzuela threw 11 complete games in 1981, etching himself into history as still the only pitcher to win Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award honors in the same season. His dominance was only matched by his precociousness, easygoing nature and childlike demeanor tying him to the city. Or, it was him doing the tying.
After all, it was Valenzuela who kept a lasso at his locker.
“He had this damn rope,” Reuss said with a chuckle.
Its most common use: Valenzuela would hide around the corner, out of sight of the Dodgers bench in the home dugout. He’d wait until a teammate was mid-conversation, kicking his leg up — only to twirl his lasso around their foot and ensnare them before they noticed.
“He had that sense of humor about him, and it was an innocence,” Reuss said. “You couldn’t get angry at him, because he was a kid having fun.”
Valenzuela’s passing came on the eve of a Fall Classic that mirrors how his rise to stardom began. Friday marks the first World Series pitting the Dodgers and the New York Yankees since 1981 — a series that etched both Valenzuela and Reuss’ place forever as champions.
It was Valenzuela who gutted out a Game 3 start with the Dodgers down 2-0 in the series, throwing a complete game despite allowing four runs, walking seven batters and requiring 147 pitches to record all 27 outs and hold on for a 5-4 win.
“It was not Fernando’s best game,” Reuss said. “Not at all.”
But, as Vin Scully said on the call, “It was not the best Fernando game, it was his finest.”
It was Reuss’ turn two nights later, exactly 43 years to the date of what will be Game 1 of this year’s series. Reuss went pitch for pitch with Ron Guidry for seven innings before returning to the dugout.
“I looked up to the sky and I said, ‘Give me one run. I can hold him. I can hold him until we put some offense together,’” Reuss said.
Pedro Guerrero responded with a solo home run. Steve Yeager followed with one of his own.
“Maybe I should’ve asked sooner,” Reuss quipped.
He completed the game, and three nights later, the Dodgers finished the series.
Now with these two clubs set to face off again, Major League Baseball has already announced it will honor Valenzuela.
“He has a place in baseball history because of his heritage,” Reuss said. “That is something where his name is now recognized, not only in the baseball world, but also around the world. So for him, it’s a special place.”
(Top photo of Fernando Valenzuela: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images)
