During last regular season
weekend series at SBC
Park I spoke with
Fernando Valenzuela
in lenght after the
game on Saturday
September 25,2004
and he told me…

By Amaury Pi-GonzálezFernando Valenzuela
who is 44 years old
told me he is coming
back to pitch
again.

Fernando does color
on the Los Angeles
Dodgers Spanish
Radio Network
with Hall of Fame
announcer Jaime
Jarrín.
After the second game
of the three-game
weekend series
at SBC Park Fernando
told me:

“I am going to come
back and start at
the Mexican League
this winter”

I didn’t know If he
was joking(he has
a weird sense of
humor, he always
did since he was
a player) but
obviously he was
not.

Last November 7th
Fernando Valenzuela
took the mound with
the Aguilas de Mexicali
of the Pacific Mexican
League in a game
against the Tomateros
(Tomatoe Growers)
of Culiacán.

In México Fernando
is well known by
the knickname of
“El Toro de Etchohuaquilla”.

His first win was on
Sunday November
28 against the
Naranjeros de
Hermosillo(Orange
Growers) 3 to 2.
Didn’t allowed a run
in 5 innings of work.

Nothing should surprise
anybody about the
Pride of Novojoa.
Fernando in 1981
was the talk of baseball
winning the Cy Young
Award and the Rookie
of the Year with the
Los Angeles Dodgers..

In 1983 Valenzuela
became the third
pitcher in MLB
history to make
$1 million, right
after Nolan Ryan
and Steve Carlton.
No Latin player
had made that
type of money
until Fernando.

The Mexican southpaw
has lost a lot of weight
and looks as fit as ever.

I know many are
thinking, is Fernando
contemplating a
comeback in the
Major Leagues ?
Only he could
answer that. But
as of today and
during this winter
“El Toro”is dazzling
fans South of the
Border.

Fernando Valenzuela
was inducted into
The Hispanic Heritage
Baseball Museum
Hall of Fame and is
one of Mexico’s
most famous athletes.
You can see your
friends at The Hispanic
Heritage Baseball
Museum again on
the 13th of February
2005 when they will
have a booth at the
Oakland A’S Fanfest.
Also the HHBM will
be present again
at the KNBR/Giants
2005 Fanfest.

By-the-way The
Hispanic Heritage
Baseball Museum
will have exhibits
at three different
Library locations
in the Sacramento,
Califgornia area
early in 2005.

LEAVING FOR A FEW
DAYS. WISHING EACH
OF YOU A WONDERFUL
HOLIDAY SEASON AND
MAY YOUR TEAM WIN
THE WORLD SERIES
IN 2005.
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