Fans at Dodger Stadium and around L.A. honor Fernando Valenzuela

Oct. 23, 2024 7:14 PM PT

Lifelong Dodger fans Manny Acosta, 59, and his brother, Jose Acosta, 60, sit on Vin Scully Avenue, just feet away from the shrine at the Dodger Stadium sign dedicated to the life of Fernando Valenzuela.

The siblings are parked in their “Dodger Dodge” — a truck wrapped in Dodger blue with an image of Valenzuela pitching on the side.

Wearing their World Series gear, they parked at noon and sat for hours watching as hundreds of mourners arrived throughout the day to drop off flowers, Mexican flags and other gifts while paying their respects to a Dodger legend.

The Acostas were born in Sonora, Mexico, the same state where Valenzuela was born, coming to Boyle Heights in 1972.

Manny Acosta sits in the “Dodger Dodge,” his truck wrapped in Dodger blue featuring the team’s logo and an image of Fernando Valenzuela pitching.

(Anthony De Leon)

“I’m an immigrant like he was,” Manny Acosta said of Valenzuela. “He came over here and surpassed the American dream. He was such an icon and literally changed the profession of baseball and its connection with Hispanics.”

He heard false rumors Valenzuela died a few weeks ago, making his death on Tuesday less startling. But it still had a huge impact.

“I’m just glad he’s resting,” Acosta said. “It’s too bad he’s gone, but it’s good that he is no longer suffering.”

Acosta felt moved to physically be at Dodger Stadium to mourn, using the experience “as a way to combat the pain, the loss and the fact he is gone.”

He met Valenzuela several times during Dodger fan events, describing him as not only a great player but a great person.

“He didn’t talk much. He wasn’t social,” Acosta said. “But what he did quietly as an individual, a human being, an immigrant and a family man — he succeeded to the fullest.”

When news of Valenzuela’s death broke, Victor Montalvo, 31, was surrounded by friends and fellow Dodger fans at Boomtown Brewing Company, a place he describes as a “massive Dodger house,” where about 80% of the clientele is Latino.

A baseball player from Boyle Heights, Montalvo grew up listening to stories about Valenzuela’s pitching prowess from his father, who often wore a Valenzuela jersey.

“You couldn’t have grown up in L.A. without knowing who he was,” Montalvo said while visiting Grand Central Market Wednesday. “It’s impossible. … You can’t drive down Sunset Boulevard without seeing the large, old mural of him as you head away from Dodger Stadium.”

Montalvo compared Valenzuela’s death to the passing of other iconic L.A. sports figures like Vin Scully and Kobe Bryant. With Valenzuela’s death so close to the World Series, he hopes it inspires a similar spirit to Bryant’s passing in 2020 when the Lakers won a championship in his honor.

“I hope there’s a push like, ‘Let’s do this for one of the greatest that ever did it,’” Montalvo said. “Win it and bring it home. We’ll celebrate him during the parade.”

Alexander Escobar, 27, spent six years driving buses for the Dodger Stadium Express, which led to his first encounter with Valenzuela in 2020. He described Valenzuela as humble, kind and down-to-earth.

“He greeted us like we were family,” Escobar recalled. “They put together an event for us to meet him, and he actually showed up. It was empowering.”

Fans placed flowers, candles, baseball and other gifts at the gates of Dodger Stadium in honor of Fernando Valenzuela.

Escobar found Valenzuela’s journey to becoming a Mexican superstar particularly inspiring, “especially when someone from the Hispanic community made it so far in the baseball world and in life.”

With Valenzuela’s passing occurring just days before the start of the World Series, Escobar said he is glad MLB plans to honor Valenzuela’s legacy.

“It’s a shame he won’t be able to make it to the World Series,” Escobar said. “It’s something he would have been a big part of. ... From ‘81 to now, Dodgers-Yankees, it’s something that would have meant a lot for him to be there.”

He added, “Hopefully, in the spirit of Valenzuela, they win.”

Valenzuela’s death felt so unreal to Carlos Flores, 43, that he initially believed it was a hoax when he first heard the news.

“I got a message. … I was like, ‘I can’t believe this. It’s got to be fake,’” Flores said. “It wasn’t even on the internet yet. That’s how quick it was. Then, five minutes later, the story was posted.”

Flores found inspiration in Valenzuela’s journey — coming to the United States from Mexico, struggling with English in his early years and winning rookie of the year and a World Series in his first full season. That made the loss that much more significant for him.

“He’s going to be missed. That’s a legend,” Flores said. “That’s one of the first Mexicans that actually made it in baseball.”

Paul Serrano, 36, first saw the news of Valenzuela’s death on social media during his commute home and questioned whether it was accurate.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Serrano said. “As an Angeleno, it’s very sad, very depressing, and even more reason to win the World Series.”

He added, “The Dodgers are in mourning and are preparing something special. … We have to win for El Toro.”

Serrano’s father, originally from Sinaloa, Mexico, often shared stories of Fernandomania, proudly reliving memories of Valenzuela’s dominance on the mound.

“[My father] would say, ‘It’s an honor to have a Mexican pitcher do what he did,’” Serrano recalled. “Valenzuela was ruthless, and he gave it his all.”

Serrano described Valenzuela as the epitome of hard work, adding, “It doesn’t matter the odds against you, brother, you can still make anything happen. You can do what you want. It doesn’t matter where you’re from.”

Kristen Gaer, 31, a lifelong Dodgers fan, first heard the news of Valenzuela’s passing in her work chat, where fellow Dodgers fans were buzzing about the loss of a legend.

“It’s very, very sad,” Gaer said. “We lost a legend for sure.”

Though too young to have seen him in his prime, Gaer grew up hearing stories about Valenzuela’s impact.

“I hope we win this one for him,” Gaer said of the upcoming World Series. “But at the same time, it’s a bummer because if we do win, he won’t be here to see it.”

Fans at Dodger Stadium and around L.A. honor Fernando Valenzuela

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