1989 Topps Kmart Dream Team Fernando Valenzuela Baseball Card #32 LA Dodgers

Description: 1989 Topps Kmart Dream Team Fernando Valenzuela Baseball Card #32 LA Dodgers Los Angeles Actual scan of card Mint-Nrmint Condition sharp corners Card is right out of the set Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (Latin American Spanish pronunciation: [feɾˈnando βalenˈswela]; November 1, 1960 – October 22, 2024) was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1997 (except 1992). While he played for six MLB teams, his longest tenure — and most significant achievements — were with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which signed him in 1979 and gave him his MLB debut in 1980. Valenzuela batted and threw left-handed, with an unorthodox windup. He was one of a small number of pitchers who regularly threw a screwball in the modern era. Valenzuela enjoyed his breakout year in 1981, when "Fernandomania" rapidly catapulted him from relative obscurity to stardom. He won his first eight starts, five of them shutouts, and dazzled not just the Dodgers and their fans, but all of Major League Baseball. He finished with a record of 13–7 and had a 2.48 ERA in a season that was shortened by a player's strike. He became the first, and as of 2024 only, player to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.[1] The Dodgers won the World Series that year. Valenzuela peaked from 1981 to 1986, when he was named a National League (NL) All-Star in each season. He won an NL-leading 21 games in 1986, although Mike Scott of the Houston Astros narrowly beat him out in the Cy Young Award voting.[2] Valenzuela was also one of the better hitting pitchers of his era. He had ten career home runs and was occasionally used by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda as a pinch-hitter.[3] However, nagging shoulder problems diminished the remainder of his Dodgers career.[4] He was on the Dodgers' 1988 World Series championship team, but sat out the postseason with a shoulder injury. On June 29, 1990, Valenzuela threw his only MLB no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals, leading Los Angeles to a 6–0 home victory in his final season as a Dodger.[5] Despite this renewed flash of greatness, the Dodgers unceremoniously released Valenzuela prior to the 1991 season. He spent the rest of his major league career with the California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals, before pitching a couple of seasons in Mexico in his 40s. Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers organization after retiring, serving as a broadcaster from 2003 to 2024. He retired from broadcasting shortly before his death.[6][7] The Dodgers retired his No. 34 in 2023. His career highlights include a win-loss record of 173–153, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.54. His 41.5 career wins above replacement (according to Baseball-Reference) is the highest of any Mexican-born MLB player. Early life Valenzuela was the youngest of 12 children, born in Etchohuaquila, a small town within the municipality of Navojoa in the state of Sonora, Mexico, on November 1, 1960.[8][9][10] His parents, Avelino and María, were poor farmers who worked the land with the help of their children[11] and were of Mayo indigenous ancestry.[12][13] Playing career Early career in Mexico In 1977, Valenzuela began his professional baseball career when he signed with the Mayos de Navojoa of the Mexican Pacific League. A year later, he was sent to the Guanajuato Tuzos of the Mexican Central League, posting a 5–6 win–loss record with a 2.23 earned run average (ERA). The following year, the Mexican Central League was absorbed into the expanded Mexican League, automatically elevating then 18-year-old Valenzuela to the Triple-A level. Pitching for the Leones de Yucatán that year, Valenzuela went 10–12 with a 2.49 ERA and 141 strikeouts.[14] A number of Major League Baseball (MLB) teams scouted Valenzuela during this time. Los Angeles Dodgers scout Mike Brito had gone to a game in Mexico to evaluate a shortstop named Ali Uscanga. Valenzuela threw three balls to Uscanga to fall behind in the count and then threw three straight strikes for the strikeout. Brito said later that at that point, he "forgot all about the shortstop".[15] The Dodgers bought out his Liga contract on July 6, 1979, for $120,000.[8] Move to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization After acquiring Valenzuela in the summer of 1979, the Dodgers assigned him to the Lodi Dodgers of the High-A level California League where he posted a 1–2 record and a 1.13 earned run average (ERA) in limited action.[16] Brito worried that Valenzuela did not throw with enough velocity and felt that he needed to develop an off-speed pitch, so the Dodgers had their pitcher Bobby Castillo teach him to throw the screwball before the 1980 season.[17] In 1980 Valenzuela was promoted to the Double-A level San Antonio Dodgers. There Valenzuela led the Texas League with 162 strikeouts, finishing the season with a 13–9 win–loss record and a 3.10 ERA.[18] Valenzuela was called up to the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen in September 1980.[19] In his first game on September 15 against Atlanta, his catcher was Mike Scioscia, who spoke some Spanish; Valenzuela spoke little English.[20] In the last month of the season, Valenzuela helped the Dodgers to a tie with the Houston Astros for the National League West Division lead, pitching 172⁄3 scoreless innings of relief over the course of 10 games, during which he earned two wins and a save. However, the Dodgers then lost a one-game tiebreaker—and thus, the division championship—to the Astros.[19] "Fernandomania" Valenzuela was the first to win the MLB Rookie of the Year Award and Cy Young awards in the same season. The following season, Valenzuela was named the Opening Day starter as a rookie after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start, and Burt Hooton was not ready to fill in. Valenzuela shut out the Houston Astros 2–0.[21] He began the season 8–0 with seven complete games, five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50 in eight starts.[22] In addition to his dominance on the mound, Valenzuela's unusual and flamboyant pitching motion—including a glance skyward at the apex of each wind-up—drew attention of its own.[23] It was a habit he claims to have developed spontaneously, although not until joining the Dodgers.[24] His most prominent and effective pitch was the screwball,[25] which had not been a popular pitch for decades.[26] An instant media icon, Valenzuela drew large crowds from Los Angeles' Latino community every time he pitched and triggered high demand across the country for his rookie 1981 Topps and Fleer baseball cards. The craze surrounding Valenzuela came to be known as "Fernandomania".[27] His starts drew large crowds in every city.[22] During his warm-up routine at Dodger Stadium, the PA system would play ABBA's 1976 hit song Fernando. He became the first player to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the Cy Young Award in the same season. He was also the first rookie to lead the National League in strikeouts. The Dodgers won the World Series that season.[21] Valenzuela was less dominant after the 1981 player strike wiped out the middle third of the season, but the left-hander still finished with a 13–7 record and a 2.48 ERA. He led all pitchers in complete games (11), shutouts (8), innings pitched (192.1), and strikeouts (180). In the NL West Division Series against the Houston Astros, Valenzuela became the youngest pitcher to start the first game of any postseason series and later pitched a complete game in game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.[28] In total, he went 3–1 in the postseason with a 2.21 ERA in 40+2⁄3 innings,[29] as he helped the Dodgers win their first World Series since 1965.[30] Valenzuela with Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1981 In addition to his skills on the mound, Valenzuela also displayed much better offensive skills than most pitchers. During his rookie season, Valenzuela batted .250 and struck out just nine times in 64 at-bats,[3] and he was the recipient of the National League's Silver Slugger Award, becoming the first Dodgers pitcher to win the award.[31] Scioscia attributed Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda's ability to speak Spanish to some of Valenzuela's early success. "He gave him all instructions in Spanish", said Scioscia.[32] Lasorda learned Spanish while in the Caribbean winter leagues.[32] Throughout the season, Scioscia caught all but two of Valenzuela's starts. Lasorda platooned Scioscia and Steve Yeager at catcher, with Yeager seeing limited playing time with the Dodgers facing only 14 left-handers during the season.[33] In game 3 of the World Series, Valenzuela was struggling when Lasorda substituted Scioscia, with whom the pitcher was more familiar, in place of Yeager, after Yankees left-hander Dave Righetti had exited the game.[33][34] Lasorda credited Scioscia with steadying Valenzuela. "He learned Spanish just so he could communicate with Fernando", said Lasorda.[34] "El Toro" Valenzula was named to six consecutive MLB All-Star Games. Following his debut, Valenzuela, nicknamed El Toro (the Bull) by fans, settled down into a number of years as a workhorse starter and one of the league's best pitchers.[27] Prior to the 1983 season, Valenzuela became the first player to be awarded a $1 million salary in arbitration (equivalent to $3.16 million in 2023).[35] Prior to the 1986 season, he signed a contract worth $5.5 million over three years (equivalent to $15.29 million in 2023), then the wealthiest contract for a pitcher in baseball history. His annual average salary of $1,833,333 and 1988 salary of $2.05 million (equivalent to $5.28 million in 2023) also both set records for a pitcher.[36] In 1986, Valenzuela finished 21–11 with a 3.14 ERA and led the league in wins, complete games and innings pitched. He lost a narrow vote for the 1986 National League Cy Young Award to the Astros' Mike Scott.[37] In his sixth straight All-Star appearance in 1986,[38] Valenzuela made history by striking out five consecutive American League batters, tying a record set by fellow left-handed screwballer Carl Hubbell in the 1934 contest.[39] In 1987, his performance declined; he earned a 14–14 win–loss record with a 3.98 ERA.[3][40] In 1988, a year in which the Dodgers won the World Series, he won just five games and missed much of the season;[22][40] despite not being on the postseason roster, he still was awarded a second World Series ring.[citation needed] He improved slightly in 1989 and went 10–13; he posted a 13–13 record in 1990. He had one last great moment on June 29, 1990, when he threw a 6–0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals just hours after the Oakland Athletics' Dave Stewart had thrown one against the Toronto Blue Jays. According to Lasorda, Valenzuela predicted to some of his teammates, "That's great, now maybe we'll see another no-hitter".[41] It was the first time in the modern baseball era that two no-hitters were thrown on the same day.[41] Post-Dodgers career Valenzuela pitching for the California Angels in 1991 After pitching ineffectively in spring training in 1991, Valenzuela was released by the Dodgers. At the time of Valenzuela's release, several Dodgers leaders, including Lasorda, Fred Claire, and Peter O'Malley, praised Valenzuela for creating exciting memories over several seasons and they indicated that it was a difficult decision to release him.[40] Being cut late in spring training, when most rosters were already fixed, made it hard for Valenzuela to find a new team.[38] An abortive attempt at a comeback with the California Angels failed later that summer.[38] Valenzuela signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1992, but he never played for the team, with his contract being purchased by the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League. He pitched and played some at first base when he was not on the mound, before making another comeback in 1993 with the Baltimore Orioles.[38] Valenzuela played for the Philadelphia Phillies and then the San Diego Padres, with whom he enjoyed his last successful season in 1996, going 13–8 with a 3.62 ERA.[38] On June 13, 1997, the Padres traded Valenzuela, Scott Livingstone, and Phil Plantier to the St. Louis Cardinals for Rich Batchelor, Danny Jackson, and Mark Sweeney.[42] He made five appearances for the Cardinals, ending his MLB career with a record of 173–153 and a 3.54 ERA.[3] The Dodgers invited Valenzuela to spring training in 1999, but he declined the offer.[43] In his mid-40s, he played a couple of seasons in the Mexican Pacific League for Águilas de Mexicali.[16] Hitting Valenzuela was considered an atypically good hitter for a pitcher. His best year at the plate was 1990—his last year with the Dodgers—when he had a .304 batting average with five doubles, a home run, and 11 runs batted in (RBIs) in 69 at-bats. That gave him a 101 OPS+, meaning Valenzuela ranked just above average among all National League hitters that year, including non-pitchers. With 187 hits in 936 career at-bats—roughly two full seasons worth of at-bats for a full-time position player—his career average was .200, with 10 home runs, 26 doubles, and 84 RBIs.[3] Valenzuela was even used on occasion as a pinch-hitter, batting .368 (7-for-19) as such. Twice while with the Dodgers, Valenzuela was called upon to play the outfield and first base in marathon extra-inning games in which he did not pitch.[44] He won the Silver Slugger award for pitchers in 1981 and 1983.[31] Retirement Valenzuela in 2007 Valenzuela was angry at the Dodgers for beyond a decade over his release. He lived close to Dodger Stadium, but declined to attend games or team-sponsored activities.[38] In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers organization as the Spanish-language radio color commentator for National League West games, joining Jaime Jarrín and Pepe Yñiguez in the Spanish-language booth. In 2015, he was switched to the color commentator job on the Spanish-language feed of SportsNet LA.[45] Valenzuela also served on the coaching staff of Team Mexico during the 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2009 World Baseball Classic, 2013 World Baseball Classic, and 2017 World Baseball Classic.[46] Valenzuela purchased the Mexican League team Tigres de Quintana Roo in 2017.[47] Legacy Fernando Valenzuela's number 34 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023. Valenzuela's wins above replacement of 41.45 is the highest for a Mexican player in MLB history.[48] He was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on August 23, 2003, in a pregame on the field ceremony at Dodger Stadium.[49] In 2005, he was named one of three starting pitchers on MLB's Latino Legends Team.[50] In 2013, he was enshrined into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.[15] Valenzuela was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2006.[51] As a show of respect, the Dodgers unofficially kept Valenzuela's jersey number 34 out of circulation.[52] They officially retired his number in a pre-game ceremony on August 11, 2023. He joined Jim Gilliam as the only two non-Hall of Fame Dodgers to have their jersey numbers retired.[53] The Dodgers named him as part of the initial class of "Legends of Dodger Baseball" in 2019.[54] They inducted Valenzuela to the Dodgers Ring of Honor during "Fernandomania" weekend on August 11–13, 2023.[55] On October 26, 2010, ESPN broadcast a documentary commemorating Valenzuela's arrival with the Dodgers titled Fernando Nation as part of their 30 for 30 documentary series.[56] On October 25, 2017, Valenzuela threw the ceremonial first pitch at Game 2 of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium, introduced by recently-retired announcer Vin Scully, and joined by Steve Yeager.[57][58] The Mexican Baseball League commemorated Valenzuela's legacy on July 6, 2019, by retiring his jersey number 34 from the entire league.[59] Personal life In 1981, Valenzuela married Linda Burgos, a schoolteacher from Mexico. Early in his career, Valenzuela and his family spent offseasons between the Mexican cities of Etchohuaquila and Mérida.[60] The couple has four children.[61] One of Valenzuela's sons, Fernando, Jr., played in the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations as a first baseman. Since 2006, Fernando Jr. has played minor league baseball in Mexico or in independent leagues.[62] Valenzuela became a U.S. citizen on July 22, 2015, at a ceremony in downtown Los Angeles.[63] He participated in two Tournament of Roses Parades—in 1983 aboard the float from the Government of Mexico and in 2008 aboard the Los Angeles Dodgers' float. In 1981, Valenzuela participated in the East Los Angeles Christmas Parade as Grand Marshal.[64] Illness and death On October 1, 2024, it was announced that Valenzuela had been hospitalized for an undisclosed illness, which was subsequently reported to have been liver cancer.[65][66] The Dodgers announced the following day that he would not be in the "broadcast booth for the remainder of this year to focus on his health".[67] Valenzuela died in Los Angeles on October 22, at the age of 63.[68] His death came two days after the Dodgers won the National League pennant, and a tribute to him is planned for the 2024 World Series.

Price: 1.5 USD

Location: Livonia, Michigan

End Time: 2025-01-29T04:00:22.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0.69 USD