Tag: dodgers

The late Fernando Valenzuela may have made one of his very last public appearances at a sports memorabilia store in Van Nuys, leaving fans and store managers with lifelong memories of his star power and humble nature.

The Dodgers all-star pitcher, who died last weekend, spent more than two hours at Cardboard Legends, chatting with fans, signing autographs and appearing in photos.

The store’s Instagram account features video clips and still photos of the event, which was held in August, 2024.

“We’d been trying to get him for five years,” said owner Mike Sablow. “He didn’t do a lot of public signings.”

Looking somewhat thinner than Sablow remembered and appeared tired, Valenzuela patiently signed jerseys, official 1981 World Series baseballs and photographs – even posing for pictures with members of Sablow’s family and his staff.

“They got to hang out, take photos and meet and greet. It was great,” Sablow said.

No one could have known that the Dodgers superstar, idolized by millions, would be gone within three months.

Store manager Adrian Flores spent the most time with the famously soft-spoken Valenzuela, chatting with him in his native Spanish.

Flores said that, in all of his dealings with the Cy Young winner, he would rarely discuss his own career and accomplishments, or even the Dodgers themselves.

Instead, he preferred to speak about his fans, whom he cherished.

“He would always say, ‘Hay mucha linea?” – meaning, “Was there a long line?’” said Flores.

He added that Valenzuela was a “ray of light” for Latinos of his generation, showing them with his Fernando-mania in the 1980s and ‘90s that “dang, we could do that, too. It was awesome.”

Sablow said fans who bought signed collectibles that day have seen huge returns on their investments after Valenzuela’s untimely death. Baseballs, which sold for $200 each with a signature, are now retailing for “$500 to $1,000.”

But he believes that a true fan would choose not to sell, now that Valenzuela is gone.

And the memories they gathered while interacting with him that morning? Priceless.

While Los Angeles mourns the death of Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, a pair of artists are working to pay tribute to the beloved sports figure with murals in the City of Angels.

Valenzuela, whose signature screwball stunted athletic rivals and captivated fans, died Tuesday after he was hospitalized earlier this month for an unspecified reason. He passed away at the age of 63; the cause of death was not revealed.

The veteran Dodger’s breakout rookie season led to him being a key role in the team’s 1981 World Series victory against the New York Yankees. And while the team simultaneously grieves his death while preparing to face the Yankees in this year’s World Series, artists Robert Vargas and Jonas Never are completing new works of art in Valenzuela’s image.

Boyle Heights

Vargas, who famously painted the 150-foot Shohei Ohtani mural in Little Tokyo, shared he was working on a new mural to honor Valenzuela. In an interview with NBC4 just hours before Valenzuela’s death, the artist said his new piece will complement Ohtani’s mural.

“The Shohei mural and the Fernando mural are bookends to the First Street Bridge,” he said.

Now mourning the Mexican-born MLB player, Vargas revealed when his mural is slated for completion.

“The unveiling date is Nov. 1, which is his birthday,” an emotional Vargas told NBC4 following the announcement of Valenzuela’s death. “It also happens to be the Day of the Dead, so it will become an ofrenda, as we would say in our language, which is an altar, but an altar to celebrate.”

“He gave us permission to dream in a way that went beyond the game,” Vargas said. “He was an immigrant who looked like one of us and went out there and did amazing things, and he was always so humble.”

Location: Vargas’ mural will be on the backside of the old Boyle Hotel in Boyle Heights, which is located at 1781 1st St.

The Dodgers, Los Angeles leaders, famous sports figures and fans are mourning the death of Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.

Elysian Valley

With spray paints in hand, artist Jonas Never is working tenaciously on his project in Frogtown.

He began his mural at the end of last week, well before Valenzuela’s death was announced and before the Dodgers secured their spot in the World Series. According to Never, who’s known for artwork paying homage to Kobe Bryant and other Dodger players, his current piece has everything coming into full circle.

“Being a mile and a half from Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers were such a natural pick,” he said. “Before we even knew they were going to play in the World Series, we picked this imagery to celebrate the teams and ironically, this Fernando image is from ’81 – the last time they played the Yankees in the World Series. So, it’s a really weird, full connection.”

The artist recalled being on his sofa when he first heard the news. He said he was bombarded by messages of the announcement and was initially in disbelief.

“It’s weird that this was planned and started when he was alive, and now it’s taken on a whole new meaning,” he said. “When I got here, there were candles. I didn’t expect that yesterday.”

Location: Near the intersection of Forney Street and Blake Avenue. It’s unclear when the project will be completed.

Pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Joe Kelly were left off the Los Angeles Dodgers’ roster for their NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres that started Saturday.

Kershaw is done for the season after his big toe injury worsened, manager Dave Roberts said. Kelly also won’t be available until the World Series should the Dodgers make it that far.

Edgardo Henriquez, a 22-year-old right-hander whose fastball averaged 98.7 mph when he pitched his first three big league games during the final week of the regular season, was included on the Dodgers’ NLDS roster.

Right-hander Michael Grove was included but outfielder Kevin Kiermaier was omitted.

A 36-year-old left-hander, Kershaw is a three-time Cy Young Award winner and 10-time All-Star. He returned July 25 from shoulder surgery but has been sidelined since Aug. 31 with a bone spur in his left big toe.

“We’re closing the door,” Roberts said. “Clayton has done everything he can to keep this thing moving forward and giving himself a chance to participate in the postseason. But where he’s at right now, physically, the foot, the toe just is not cooperating. It’s actually getting worse. Yeah, this is it for Clayton for 2024.”

Kelly, a 36-year-old right-hander, didn’t pitch between Aug. 30 and Sept. 18 because of right shoulder inflammation but returned to make four late-season appearances.

“Joe Kelly, his last pitch in a simulated game, throwing a change-up, he felt something in his shoulder, so that kind of put him out of the conversation,” Roberts said.

Roberts also said reliever Brent Honeywell would not be available until Game 5 of the NLDS, if the series goes the distance.

San Diego added right-handers Martín Pérez and Alek Jacob, who were skipped from the Wild Card Series roster against Atlanta. The Padres dropped infielder Nick Ahmed and right-hander Joe Musgrove, who needs Tommy John surgery.

Ben Lively was left off Cleveland’s roster for the AL Division Series against Detroit despite being an invaluable addition to the Guardians’ starting rotation this season.

The New York Yankees dropped pitcher Marcus Stroman and reliever Mark Leiter Jr. along with injured infielders Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu for their best-of-five series against Kansas City but included relievers Jake Cousins and Tim Mayza along with speedster Duke Ellis, who has played in just five big league games.

Philadelphia gave its last bullpen spot to left-hander left-hander Kolby Allard, who had just four starts and three relief appearances this season, over right-handers Max Lazar and Spencer Turnbull.

The New York Mets added right-hander Kodai Senga, who was limited to one start and 5 1/3 innings, and last year’s NL Rookie of the Year runner-up started Saturday’s opener against the Phillies. Right-hander Tylor Megill, who was off the Wild Card Series roster against Milwaukee after starting against Atlanta on Monday, also was added. Right-handers Max Kranick and Huascar Brazoban were dropped.

Lively went 13-10 with a 3.81 ERA in 29 starts for the Guardians, who signed him to a one-year contract as a free agent in December. The right-hander led the team in wins and was arguably the club’s most consistent pitcher for the first three months of the season.

The Tigers, who swept Houston in the AL wild-card round, made only one change. Rookie right-hander Keider Montero was added for the ALDS in place of righty Casey Mize.

Added to give Cleveland depth, Lively helped the AL Central champions overcome the loss of former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, who made just two starts before having season-ending Tommy John surgery.

The Guardians also were without starter Gavin Williams until July because of an elbow injury, and Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen — both penciled in as starters — struggled and were sent to the minor leagues.

Cleveland’s bullpen has been MLB’s best all season, and manager Stephen Vogt elected to carry 12 pitchers. Two notable contributors were left off: Nick Sandlin, who went 8-0 with a 3.75 ERA in 68 games and Pedro Avila, who was 6-1 with a 3.81 ERA in 54 appearances.

Vogt said it was hard leaving anyone off. He also chose utilityman Tyler Freeman because of his versatility over rookie outfielder Angel Martinez.

“It’s terrible, not fun at all,” Vogt said. “Guys like Angel, that contributed a lot to us in our success. It’s hard when you use 40-something, 50 guys. We’ve made the roster for this specific series. It’s not going to be necessarily the roster moving forward, but it was a really difficult day and understanding and liking it are two different things.”

Starter Alex Cobb, who ended the season on the injured list because of a finger blister, is on the ALDS roster. He is a candidate to start Game 3, though Vogt could choose to use his bullpen from start to finish.

Kansas City kept its roster unchanged from its series against Baltimore.