Major League Baseball 2024
Valenzuela played for the Yucatán Lions. It was here in Mérida where Mike Brito saw him play while scouting Ali Uscanga. Incidentally, Uscanga died a couple of years ago, apparently from COVID.
I remember watching Fernando pitch that rookie season in MLB... at first it was weird to watch him play in MLB after seeing him play for the Lions at the now gone Carta Clara Stadium, and even booing him on a couple of occasions ( as good as a 12 year old boos), then as the no hitters started coming, getting annoyed and wondering why the hell he didn't pitch like that here.
He married a local girl here in Mérida, in a low key ceremony, and the local paper made a big deal of a letter Ronald Reagan sent to him to congratulate him on the wedding.
It was sad to see him those last days, a man who was nicknamed the bull, waste away from the disease.
If you have ESPN+, the 30 for 30 about Fernandomania is worth a watch, not just for the baseball part, but the cultural impact Valenzuela had.