El Toro hit the pitch as a starter in 1981, winning his first eight consecutive games, tossed seven complete games, five of which were shutouts, and only allowed four earned runs in 72 innings. Fernandomania engulfed the country. He went on to win the Cy Young Award that year and the Angels made the playoffs for the first time.
Valenzuela started every game of the 1981 season and finished with a 16-3 record, 1.93 ERA, three saves and 472 strikeouts in 368 2/3 innings. He was awarded the MVP award after leading the Angels to their first World Series title since 1962. Los Angeles defeated the Yankees in six games.
Valenzuela returned in 1982 to post another stellar season, finishing with a 21-5 record, 1.74 ERA, four saves and 537 strikeouts in 394 innings. He was again named MVP after helping the Angels repeat as World Series champions by defeating the Boston Red Sox in seven games.
Valenzuela's success drew huge crowds to Angel Stadium and the team began selling out every game from 1980-83. The 1981 and 1982 seasons are considered by many to be the best years in Los Angeles baseball history.
Fernando Valenzuela died on August 23, 1998 at the age of 36 due to heart disease.
"Fernandomania" swept the country as Fernando started 8-0 with a 0.50 ERA, eight complete games, and five shutouts in his first eight appearances. Valenzuela finished the season with a 13-7 record, a 2.48 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 180 strikeouts, earning him Rookie of the Year and Cy Young accolades. He also helped lead Mexico to an Olympic gold medal victory over Canada in tennis.
In 1981, Fernando Valenzuela set a major league record by starting 8-0. His 8-0 mark is still intact today. The Los Angeles Dodgers' Don Sutton had previously held this record with 7-0 marks in 1972 and '73. In addition, Valenzuela has one of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in MLB history at 4.26 K's per walk. This number is also second only to Hall of Famer Randy Johnson who had a 4.88 K/BB ratio in 2001.
Valenzuela ended the season with a 13-7 record and a 2.48 ERA, finishing second in MVP voting behind Mike Lowell of the Boston Red Sox. The 21-year-old phenom also led Mexico to its first Olympic gold medal victory at the Summer Olympics when they defeated Canada 3-2 in the final match of the tournament. Valenzuela went 8-0 with a 0.50 ERA in his first eight games back from an ankle injury, becoming the first pitcher ever to win the award unanimously.
El Toro (Spanish for "the Bull") is the nickname of Paraguayan footballer Roberto Acuna (born 1972). Pedro Alvarez (baseball) is a third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Major League Baseball. He is known as "El Toro" because of his appearance: he has been called the "Mexican Babe Ruth".
Acuna played for Club Libertad in Paraguay before moving to Argentina to play for Boca Juniors. While at Boca, he met former national teammate José Manuel Martínez who was also looking for a place to play football. The two friends moved back to Paraguay where they formed a club named Deportivo El Toro. They started out with a team composed only of friends and family and paid for themselves by playing in local tournaments.
Their first official game was on August 7, 1993. El Toro lost this match 1-4 against Club Olimpia but according to custom they kept their wages from this game. The next season they finished second in the league table and won the promotion tournament. In 1995, they joined the top division and three years later they had their biggest success when they won the Apertura title. In 2000, Acuna left Boca Juniors and signed with Argentinian club San Lorenzo.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
