Valenzuela, who died Tuesday at age 63, won the NL Cy Young Award and led the Dodgers to a World Series championship in 1981. Born in Mexico, Valenzuela had a sensational season that sparked "Fernandomania" in Los Angeles as the club won its first title since 1965. The left-hander would pitch 17 major league seasons and was a six-time All-Star.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will honor one of their franchise legends during the World Series against the New York Yankees and throughout the 2025 campaign.

Fernando Valenzuela started pitching for the Dodgers at the end of the 1980 season, and even though I attended all three season-ending games against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium and he pitched in two of those, I sadly don’t remember his appearances at all. When historic moments begin, we often aren’t aware of it.