Fernando Valenzuela tipping his hat to the crowd during a 1981 game against the Atlanta Braves in Los Angeles.
Credit...Molenhouse/Associated Press

Fernando Valenzuela, Dodgers Pitcher Who Enthralled Fans, Dies at 63

He won the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards in 1981, when “Fernandomania” made him a household name and filled ballparks.

by · NY Times

Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born, left-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers who enthralled baseball as a 20-year-old in the 1981 season with a quirky windup out of which he threw his signature screwball, has died. He was 63.

His death was confirmed in a statement on Tuesday by Stan Kasten, the team president and chief executive of the Dodgers. No cause of death was given.

This is a developing story.

John Yoon contributed reporting.