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Dodger legend Steve Sacks is joined by your favorite Dodger pregame host Tim Kates. If you want to talk Dodgers, get in on the show on eighty six six nine, eighty seven two five seven now. While the Dan Patrick Show streams on the Ihearts radio app. We've been banished to the internet until this Dodgers playoff run concludes. Here they are broadcasting live on AM five to seven e LA Sports. It's Tim Kates and Steve.
Sachs sax and Kate's and AM here on M five seventy LA Sports on this Wednesday morning, October twenty third. We appreciate you being with us as you get up, make your way around city on your way to work, school drop off the kids. We appreciate you being with us and having us with you as you're driving around here in southern California. Game one of the World Series
Dodgers and Yankees is Friday Night. Out of Dodgers Datium Jack Felerty and Garrett Cole will be the Game one pitching matchup, Dave Roberts making that announcement yesterday in a press conference, also announcing that Yoshinoba Yamamoto will be the Game two starter on Saturday night, first two games at Dodgers Datium before heading back to New York on Monday for Games three, four, and possibly five. We'll have Morogo Casino Dodgers on deck in. It all started at four
o'clock on Friday. We got walda wall coverage lead up to that, including the sad news that came down last night, the passing of Fernando Valenzuela at the age of sixty three, the cultural hero, the baseball legend who took southern California by storm in nineteen eighty one, bringing together the cultures of southern California and certainly the baseball community together for Fernando Mania. That really sparked a movement here in sather
Than California. Brought everybody together, and it was a symbol of hope for a lot of people here in Los Angeles and the city. And Fernando Mania took off in nineteen eighty one. What a season. He had Cy Young Award, Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger, and of course a World Series Championship. Ten years with the Dodgers, went on to play with the Angels and of course a couple of other teams before retiring and returning to the Dodgers as a broadcaster with the Dodgers, Spinish brod at Brady
broadcast team for the last twenty plus season. Saxy, you mentioned the hitting. I don't think people realize what a good hitter he was. Silver Slugger Award winner in his rookie season in nineteen eighty one. He was an extra weapon off the bench on those nights when he wasn't pitching.
Yeah.
I mean, you talk about hitters today like Madison Bumgardner. How good of a hitter he was, you know, with the Giants and the d Backs, And then you look at Fernando.
Fernando was at least that good.
There were times when Tommy would pinch hit and use Fernando's bat and put him up there, and if we were in a tough situation where we were depleted on the bench, he felt good about putting Fernando in there. And lots of times he came through He was a really good hitter and all around athlete. And you mentioned I think Gus had mentioned how much Fernando liked soccer. I remember Fernando would be down in the dugout constantly with it. Remember the hacky sack. Oh yeah, Fernando could
hit that. It could you know, pop that hacky sack up for just endlessly with his feet and he hit it with his head, hit it with his hand, and he was good at that. He was just an all around great athlete. And again not a big wondering why Fernando won, you know, that Silver Slugger Award. He was a really good hitter and he could hit the ball out of the park.
We talk about nineteen eighty one because it started Fernando Mania and what he did with those eight complete games to start his major league career there in nineteen eighty one, with that first start and opening day, the five shutouts, the accolades that he gets from nineteen eighty one surly, But you played with him in the years after that, and what Fernando man after that was equally impressive. And will we spotlight nineteen eighty one because that's when it started,
That's when the fever started. He burst onto the scene and really galvanized the city. The years after eighty two, eighty three, eighty four, of the years on that you played with him, was that fever still the same when you guys traveled on the road. Fernando Mania was special in eighty one. How special was it in those years after that? Oh, Fernando was always electric and another part of him. When you talk about him, you kind of dissect the different parts and great things about Fernando. It
keeps adding on, it keeps layering on. Another thing about him, his competitiveness. Besides being able to throw that great screwball, and you know how he carved up hitters. He was a tough competitor.
There were games and I remember if it was in the World Series, where they kept him in a game he gave up three or four runs, kept him in the game, deep in the game, and he winds up winning it. And that's because of his intestinal fortitude. The guy was just absolutely nails. Nothing would bother him. He was like, you know, it was like ice water in his veins. He would not get caught up in the moment.
And he was always, you know, central to just getting that hitter out and Fernando was the best at it.
Game five of the series against the Montreal Expos in Montreal, the Rick Monday home run, that was a Fernando start, And I was watching it last night on Spectrum Sports
in at La. They had the whole feature on on Fernando Plane, and they brought it up about how Fernando struggled and gave up a run in that first inning on that cold day in Montreal, and Tommy Lasorda got Bobby Castillo up warming in the bullpen in the bottom of the first inning, and Fernando even said he looked over and he saw Bobby Castillo warming up, and he said,
uh huh, this ain't happening today. I'm gonna go out and I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the guy, and I'm gonna pitch and went on to pitch a great game there against the Montreal Expos. But it was Tommy lighting that little fire getting somebody warm that ticked off Fernando in Game five of that series. Again, that's the Expos.
Hey, how about in his twenty five starts that year, Fernando pitched one hundred and ninety two and a third. Then he went on to pitch seven years of two hundred plus innings, including in nineteen eighty two two hundred and eighty five innings, the next year two hundred and fifty seven innings, the next year two hundred and sixty one, two seventy two, two sixty nine, and on and.
On it goes.
You talk about one and one hundred and twenty innings that pitchers go today. Fernando was more than double in that more than double. So you talk about a guy that took the workload on his back and carried the team.
That's what he would do.
In nineteen eighty eight, he for the first time went on the injured list because of shoulder issues, and it cost him two months, but also costing the opportunity to pitch in the World Series. I think that's something that gets lost is we talk about Gabee and Oral and what you guys did as a group in nineteen eighty eight. Fernando was hurt in nineteen eighty eight, Yeah.
And I imagine if we would have had him on the team, you know, it would have been a much smoother ride. I think into the World Series when we had that real tough confrontation with the Mets. If we would have had Fernando on there. I mean, imagine how much better we would have been.
Eight sixty six, nine eighty seven two five seventy. Eight sixty six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy A sad day for Dodger Nation with the passing of Fernando Vealezuela as at the age of sixty three here in Los Angeles. What did he mean to you? How much did he mean to your baseball family and your family here in southern California eight six sixth nine eighty seven, two five seventy. Uh, Aaron and all Hambro, I's been waiting patiently. Thank you, Erin.
How you doing hey, good buddy, how you guys doing good?
Good?
Aeron good.
Hey.
I'll just relate a couple of quick stories. My sister used to work for the Dodgers, and she was down in San Diego. They were at a game and they saw Fernando getting into his car after the games, and she says, hey, mister valencewaie can have your autograph? And he says no, in a very serious tone. And so he gets in those car, rolls down the window and he says come over, and she says, mister Elnezuela. I work at the stadium, and he says, I know, come over here, and he signs it. My second story is,
and I'm sorry, I'm a little choked up. A friend who worked at for the Dodgers, a bad boy, Peter Sandoval, he passed away. I'm sitting in the back of the church at the funeral as a very last pew, and Fernando comes in and he just very quietly comess sits down at the funeral, pays his respects because Mike Brito was Peter Sandoval's godfather, and so he was there paying his respects.
Just a humble guy, and just you know, it was such a neat thing to see this man is such a great picture, comes in, sits down without anybody knowing, and and you know, and just do this thing so humbly. I was like always impressed with that. So I just wanted to share those couple of stories. What a nice guy.
I appreciate it, Aaron, Thanks for sharing that. David and Riverside. Next up here on Saxon Kate's and a am Alive a local on your Home with the Dodgers A five seven e LA Sports.
Hi David, good morning, Steve and Tim, thank you for having us on and this opportunity to share about Frando.
Absolutely, go ahead, David, Hell yeah, go ahead, David Okay.
The story I want to share speaks to not just Fernando Mania, but to the man Fernando of Alanzuela. About twelve years ago, I had the opportunity to bring in six young ladies that were in their mid twenties or mid I'm sorry, mid thirties to mid forties to the suite and they were our tough performing employees for the quarter.
We treated them to a game. I happen to run into Jorge Hereen in the walkway out there behind the suites, and I said, well, what are the chances that Fernando would be available, maybe between innings when he's not at the mic. And he said, let me see, let me see. I'll be right back, and he says, top of the third Fernando's coming in. Awesome. Now, these are these are ladies that are, like I said, in the mid thirties to mid forties. They grew up as elementary and junior
high kids during Fernandomania. So you can imagine when he walks through the door. I mean, it's just like it might have been the Beatles, or it might have been like in today's world. You know, maybe it's Taylor Swift walking in the door while they're sitting there eating their Dodger dogs and their peanuts, and they dropped everything and rushed to this guy, like maybe Elvis.
Yeah.
Uh, it's just it's amazing the magnets, the magnetism that he had, Uh, the impression that he had on these people. Uh during that time.
Uh.
And and he's spoke closed for pictures, he figned autographs.
Uh.
They told their stories about him. He smiled and listened to every one of those stories. But one lady, and they were all able to bring a guest, so a spouse, a child. One lady brought her father who's in a wheelchair and he had terminal cancer. Didn't speak English. He was in the restroom when Fernando came in and missed the whole thing. I went out to Himie again, I said, Jimie, we missed one. We missed one. And he says, I'll be right back. He comes back and it says, come
with me. So I took the employee, I took her dad. We went next door into the broadcast booth. Fernando then leaves his spot. It's between innings. He squats down like Fosha, catch her behind the plate next to this man's wheelchair and sits there and talks to him to the next almost the full next half inning. And I don't know what they're saying. I'm just watching this thing, and I'm watching her cry. I'm watching her father cry. And then
Fernando puts his arm around the man. After they've done talking, and Fernando starts crying. And I looked at her afterwards, I said, what were they saying? And he was telling Fernando. I tell my children, this is how you This is how you take care of yourself. This is what you do, no matter how humble and low your beginnings are, this is what you can make of yourself. Fernando is a role model. It doesn't matter if you're a boy, if you're a girl. This is how you put yourself up.
And it's not that you didn't have anybody in your beginning. This is your family and fam Fernando had a family. He's telling them. He's telling Fernando this, and and the emotions that came out of that. It speaks about that all of these girls remember when they were kids. But the man that Fernando Valenzuela was for someone like that. This this man passed away a few months later, but he was able to tell his children's hero what he meant to that entire family.
That's awesome, David, appreciate you sharing that. That is a that is an unbelievable story and and sort of just fits right to what we're hearing about Fernando Valenzuela, about
the kind of man he was. And to think about Steve, he could have been a superstar that got so big that he he wasn't amongst the people, and you know, could have been a rock star type of person that got carried away with things and you know, maybe you know, lives a different lifestyle and becomes somebody else, not who he was growing up and who he was initially as Fernando and Fernando Mania nineteen eighty one. Things could have gotten, you know, rockstar esque. You know, people change with fame
and fortune. It just happened, and it happens for the bad a lot of the times. But it never changed Fernando very easily. He could have been a rock and roll type icon, which he is, but gone down a different path and treated fans differently and acted differently. But the guy never did. He was amongst the people all the time.
Well, when you say it could have happened, I get your point, but impossible with him, he was not that way at all. He was like I said, he was the most grounded guy and his family was it for him and all this stuff. You know, how this guy I transformed the sports the way you look at sports in southern California, it paled in comparison to what was important to him, and that was his family and his friendships.
That's what meant, That's what meant the most of Fernando, and that's what everybody says, and it's the absolute truth.
Rosemary and Riverside, thanks for being patient. You're on with Saxon Kates in the am. You're on your home with the Dodgers A five seventy.
How you doing, Rosemary, Hi, good morning guys. Thank you for taking my call and love your show. I was a little girl when I remember when I started watching the Dodgers, and I got to tell you, I fell in love with the Dodgers because of Venezuela. I just remember him being such a great player, and then of course I started lik Saxy and Marshall and everybody else and Herscheiser. But he makes us Mexican so proud. I mean, I remember my grandparents used to watch him, you know,
playing the game, and it makes me so sad. I actually cried last night, guys, because I got emotional. You know, it brought up so many memories and keeviva toro borbida geviva. I love him. He just changed the baseball world.
Guys.
Thank you, Ron.
It couldn't be any more proud. Thank you guys for taking one more thing. Guys, I can't find you on the radio. I can't listen to you while I'm at home getting ready. They're showing the other guy. What's his name, Dan Patrick?
Yeah?
Yes, how do I find you?
A f I seventy over the terrestrial radio. I know Dan's on the iHeart app. There's other outlets you can find, Rosemary. If you follow me on Twitter, I can give you a give you a give you a good listen. So appreciate Rosemary. Thank you so much for sharing and uh again, just another example of what Fernando Valezuela meant to people here in southern California and the people he brought to baseball,
the eyeball sacks he that he brought to you. Think about that, a different a different amount of people that may have never known who the great Steven Sachs was unless Fernando Vealezuela was there bringing that group of people, and those fans that weren't baseball fans that became Dodger fans and became fans of Saxons.
Tim He he made everybody better, He made his teammates better, and everybody that was around him, and not a cliche. Everything about Fernando was the real deal.
Eight six six, nine eighty seven, two five seventy more of your phone calls this morning as we remember Fernando Vealezuela. Mike Sosh is gonna join us, coming up here at the bottom of the hour. Dusty Baker's going to join us next hour. Your phone calls, your memories, your rememberances. He met so much to so many people here in southern California and the city of Los Angeles. Fernando Mania will live on forever. We're your home of the Dodgers. An Fhi seventy I Sports sax and Kates in the
am on this Wednesday morning. In five to seventy, LA Sports gave one of the World Series coming up on Friday nights, Jack Flaherty and Garrett Cole the pitching matchup in the series opener, first pitch at five oh eight. We've got you covered wall the wall coverage leading up to first pitch on Friday night. But certainly sad news the loss of Fernando Vealezuela passed away yesterday at the age of sixty three. El Toro, an icon here in Los Angeles, in southern California, burst onto the scene in
nineteen eighty one. We've been taking a lot of your phone calls and memories, and he touched the lives of so many people here in Southern California. In Los Angeles. He changed the baseball culture here in Southern California. He changed baseball across the country in the nineteen eighties, and SAX you mentioned it. It wasn't just in La thing that that caught Fernando mania and ran with it. It was across the country and being on the road and
traveling and playing in other cities. You saw it firsthand. Even after the nineteen eighty one season. In the years following that when Fernando pitched, it was different in those cities, wasn't It was a different crowd. It was more crowded in those stadiums.
I remember Fernando walking out of the clubhouse and you know, the people had pretty good accessibility to the players and you go out and you know, go to your car whatever. I remember that even in spring training in Vero, where people were very accessible, they would just want to touch Fernando's shoulder, they or do you want to touch his coat? You know when he when he was walking out, when they said he was like one of the Beatles. He was that much of an attraction. And you know, there's
one other thing in the professional realm. I want to just marvel for a moment if we could about Fernando in this day and age of you know, maybe five, six, seven.
Eighties and then you're out of the game.
I mean, how many players, how many pitchers today can you think of that really go out and pitch a complete game where they start and finish the game, which is you know, should be the idea when you go out and take the ball to try to you know, pitch the full game, the nine innings. That's what pitchers used to do. I don't think they really try to do that or really shoot to do that, but to complete the game is a is almost to something that you never see today because they just don't go the
full tilt. Fernando Vealezuela had one hundred and thirteen complete games in his career. Wow, you will go through and see people today, even the great pitchers, they don't complete games today. They have a smattering of games that they'll complete throughout their career, a few, maybe one hundred and thirteen complete games. That is called taking it on your shoulders right, all the team together and putting it on your back.
That's what he did.
That was Fernando Vealezuela, the guy who went out and took the ball every time he was asked to go out and do it, do it into the postseason. Is well and dominating and carrying a city on his shoulders as well through the nineteen eighties with Fernando Mania, taking your phone calls eight sixty six, ninety seven, two five seventy Angel and Lincoln Heights is next up here on an FI seventy Oli sports. Hi Angel, Hey how.
You doing Boston?
Good? Hi Angel?
This is Angel. Yeah, listen I grew up in Lincoln Heights. My dad used to work at Dodger Stadium.
Man.
My brother used to work at the Stadium club. My dad used to serve all the time he was at the Stadium club. He used to serve all those guys you know with their family, Steve Garvey, Ron Say and Steve Davy Lols And uh, we used to go there all the time. And we used to see Valance for all all the time.
Yeah, and uh, I remember this guy.
Used to work for the Dodgers. Is a guy named the name it a little that was. His name was Pete Saliva, and we all grew up with him, and I see him. I saw him in a lot of places. I used to see him driving his Corvette all the time because he used to live on No Phillies and he used to just wait on me all the time. And that guy was a really nice guy man. Every every funeral, he was there. He was there when Tommy
la sort That passed away. He just got out of the car, he put his hat down, checked everybody's hand got on it. And I saw my tom Pabo Castillo's funeral.
I saw him in a bunch of another guy I've been to Manymoa and the Tows. Another great guy. You know, all this stuff we went to. When we went the first time they had that All Star game, my dad bought us ticket.
That guy chick Uh put Fernando put An on us and he was really good man.
He was the best.
Say that.
Can I say a shout out to my little nephews. Yeah, I was listening to you guys, all right. He lives in Ontario. His nemus Fernando too, Bernando Garcia.
Nice.
Hey, he's out there delivering the kids to school. Man, he's I was listening to you guys.
Awesome, Angel, appreciate it. Thank you for the memories. Thanks for sharing that. A lot of memories from Dodger fans this morning certainly touched a lot of people's lives, families here in Southern California. Changed the baseball culture here in Southern California, and the man behind them plate for so many of those Fernando Valezuela starts. He caught the no hitter in nineteen ninety. He is a Dodger icon himself.
Longtime Angels manager, sixteen hundred and fifty wins as a manager, three time World Series Champion, two with the Dodgers as a player, one as a manager with the Angels. He is the great number fourteen Mike Sooshia and he joins us here on five seventy l A Sporting LA Sports Mike, good morning.
How you doing good, guys? How are you doing okay?
Doing okay? Certainly the sad news of the passing of Fernando Valenzuela last night's uh, I guess just your initial thoughts and and and when you hear about his passing, what kind of goes through your mind.
That's a sad day, There's no doubt about it. But I think it's it's uh, it's it's definitely day of reflection for all of us to understand, uh, the impact that Fernando had on not only do the Dodger organization, all Southern California, the whole baseball world and all of Latin America. And I think understanding that and living it in real time, and I know, Saxuly, you know, we had the chance to live at real time. It was
you know, it was really uh spectacular. So it's a sad day for sure, way too young for for for Fernando to pass, But that's what you know, it's what we have today and just a special person, special pitcher and a great teammate, great friends.
Yeah, Mike, thanks for being on with us. And in your great career, you've caught so many pitchers. Nobody knew Fernando and his professionalism and what he brought as a pitcher better than you.
You knew it better than anybody.
So maybe you can give our listeners some insight on just what made him so special and what was it about that screwball and how was he able to master that thing?
You know, saxy, he you know, you can see his natural talent and I mean you know you could see it from second base obviously the way his pitches moved. But I've never caught a guy that really had five pitches that he could use on any count and and really ice water in his veins. He just he made pitches. He had great command of his fastball. He could move that thing on the corner two inches off the corner,
two more inches off the corner. To see how much an umpire was giving you, and just that natural ability was was special. But it goes further than that. Fernando had. He had a huge heart out there on the mouth. He wanted to go out there. He wanted to win. He didn't care if he had to throw one hundred and fifty pitches of a game. He wanted to finish that ninth inning get a win for the team. And so when you when you combine his natural ability with his ability to just compete, you.
Know, it was just a special pitcher in that nineteen eighty one season, Mike, I believe you caught all but two of his starts in that Fernando Mania season with it really springboarded Fernando and took off here in southern California. What was your Spanish like before and what did it develop into quickly? I guess in that nineteen eighty one season, Well.
Let me just say Fernando knewhim a lot more English, and then people maybe knew and you know, I played a couple of years down in Dominican Republic, and you know, you pick up Spanish and the Dodge organization are always a lot of players from Latin America, so you would
kind of trade words and get an understanding. But you know, a lot of baseball terminology was universal, so you didn't have a lot of there was no problem with communication with Fernando, and you know, baseball's baseball, and once you get back there and understand what a pitcher has his stuff, talk to him about what he's trying to do. There was no there was no problem and all with communication.
Yeah, Mike, we talked about how great he was a pitcher. But Fernando was a really good athlete all the way around. And you know he's a good soccer player. And how about him as a hitter. I mean, Tommy would sometimes use Fernando in a pitch hitting role if our bench became depleted, and then felt no qualms about putting him out there. And lots of times he came through.
No doubt. You know, if you looked at you know, and Fernando as he as he grew, he you know, he came up. He was so young, and he had this little pudgy body, you know, a little lefty, and but you you could see the way he moved off a moundin the way he fielded his position, the way he could swing a bat, that he was a he was a tremendous athlete and he was and whatever it would take, he would get big hits for us. You know,
I remember a game he knocked in. You know their games where he might not get in the only run. I remember pigeon against Steve Carlton and in Philly and knocks in. I think he knocked in the winning run in a game that was two to one. I think he struck out like fifteen players. But you know, he he he was. He was a great athlete. And you know as he first came up, as I said, you saw this little pudgy body with a with a strange delivery where he's looking up to the sky, but he
moved off that mound. Great could swing the bat. And as I said before, whether he had to get a bunt down or pinch it get a hit, he just wanted to help the team win.
Mike's social with us here on M five seventy LA Sports, June twenty ninth, nineteen ninety Fernando throws a no hitter against the Saint Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. You were the catcher that night. Is it true he came to you before the game MIC and said you're about to catch a no hitter tonight.
Well, yeah, this is true. But here's here's how the situation evolved. We're watching Dave Stewart pitch finish off his what ended up being a no hitter. So we're watching the last like four or five pitches in our video room before we went out there to get loose, and Fernando is walking by because he's going to the bullpen yet to pass our video room, so he pokes his head in. Dave Stewart finishes off his no hitter, and Fernando says, you saw one on TV, now you're going
to see one in person. And he goes down there and warms up and ends up throwing no hitter. So that was that was a special time for all of us, and particularly Fernando because it was I think a lot of people don't realizing eighty eight. He hurt his arm in May and didn't pitch for us that whole year
and we ended up winning the World Series. So he was coming back from a serious arm injury, came back and pitched a long time after that, and it was a big you know, that was just a big knight for all of us to see him go out there or be part of a no hitter.
Yeah, you know, we talk about how great Fernando was, Mike, but I think the best part of Fernando was I he was always the same guy. He was grounded, he was the biggest part of his life was his family, obviously, And it's amazing how when people talk about how unaffected he was. You mentioned the ice water in his veins, it's because of where he came from and how grounded
he was. And he wasn't too big for the moment, because he was he was just he was just another guy, you know, the way he looked at things, and his family was the biggest thing to him. I think that might have been his greatest his big best thing.
He brought to the club.
Absolutely sex. I think you know, those of us that got to know him well understand that he was just you know, he was a kid like all of us, from all from different parts of this world. He got together and got on the same team, and he was just a very grounded kid. Loved his family, had a big game from big family down in Mexico, and uh
just uh, he just enjoyed the camaraderie. One of the things I remember about Fernando, and you're right about him always being the same whether he was pitching well or pitching poorly, or what was going on at the clubhouse. He had the same demeanor, and he was a you know, he was a prankster. Remember when he had that lasso. Yes, he would have a lot. He would have a lasso and you'd be walking by and all of a sudden,
he lasso your ankle as you're walking. You play those trips, and he was and and and uh, that's the way he was.
You know.
I mean, there's playoff games that we're going into and you know, and all the pressure that could be in the clubhouse. Uh he was. He was one of the guys that alleviated and just just let that that air out of the balloon and we could relax.
And uh.
He was funny, he was quick witted, he'd uh, you know, just just just a down the earth guy. And that's that's you know, that's how we'll remember Fernando.
Mike as we remember Fernando nineteen eighty one, especially a year for you guys winning the World Series and beating the Yankees. And here we are just a couple of days away from Game one of the twenty twenty four World Series. Dodgers Yankees again, superstars galore going to be on the biggest stage with Otani and Judge and everybody on both rosters. When you see this matchup about to happen, Dodgers Yankees, what comes to your mind from eighty one Dodgers Yankees in that World Series.
Yeah, well, we were really young in eighty one. We just came up and you know what our really takeaway from that eighty one World Series was. It was it was like the infield and the guys that had lost in seventy seven, seventy eight to the Yankees. These guys were on mission and we were all a part of it, understanding that, hey, this is a huge series for this organization.
We need to beat the Yankees. Even go back to Brooklyn when the Dodgers would play the Yankees in in the fifties and they won in fifty five one time, but lost so many times. This was important for the Dodger organization, and these guys all felt that they felt like they were carrying that banner. And it was an
intense series. Would lose the first two games in New York and then would come back and sweep them in LA And by the way, game three, Fernando pitches and he had to throw one hundred and fifty hundred and sixty pitches. I don't even know what the pitch count was. Started off a little rough for the first couple of innings. They got to think three to four runs off him, and then all of a sudden, he pitches a complete game, striking at lou Penela to win the game and hold
the lead. So that was a special special moment for us, and especially being able to win Game six in in Yankee Stadium was something for you know, just I think it was a little retribution for the guys that had gone through the tough season seventy seven and seventy eight.
Yes, Mike, My last one for you, Mike is you know, can you imagine today, with the transfer of information and social media, just how huge Fernando would have been.
I mean, this is a modern day show. He would have been the modern day show. Hey Otani, you know, is uh?
With all the you know advantages we have today to transfer the information and get things in real time. New cycles are now by the hour. Can you imagine what Fernando could have been today in this market of social media.
Oh, it would have been unbelievable. But I think it just shows how dominant he was. To go back to nineteen eighty one. And remember that there's no cell phones in eighty one. There's you know, I think they might you might have had you know, answer machines on your telephone by then, but there's there's there's you know. The media was the reporters who were at the stadium. Uh, you know, the the uh you know, the audio guys who were doing the video and our audio you know,
doing radio and TV. That was it. And just think how big he became with all the with all these three sources. Well, so I think that speaks speaks to the to the mag you know, the magnitude the Fernando affected, you know, everybody, and as I said, not just a Dodge organization, not just selling California, the whole baseball world throughout you know, throughout Latin America and everywhere. And it was it was just, uh, you know, something quite an experience for all of us who went through it.
Mike final thing, uh sho hel Tani.
Uh.
You had show hey in twenty eighteen, his first year in the big leagues to see what he's doing now, you know, seven seasons later in a Dodger uniform, now on the biggest stage in the world, Series fifty to fifty season. Uh what what are your what are your thoughts about what you've seen him do this year and taking it to even a higher level that nobody thought he could do and baseball had never seen before.
Well, I think, I mean he had the potential. You knew he had the potential to do what he's done. Uh and and to this level, I think did he He's just right now in a tremendous situation for show. Hey, he's you know, he's comfortable. He has the highest level of confidence I think you could possibly have as a player.
And I'm excited to see him pitch next year again because I think that he's going to get the exposure to pitch on a Dodger club and people are going to see his you know why people still want him to pitch. He's a dominated pitcher, he's a you know, his stuff is top five in baseball. So I think he'll have to obviously, you know, deal with pitching and hitting again, But I don't think it'll I don't think
it will affect him. He's a special player, special athlete, and what he's done this year is it's it's it's remarkable. But he has had the potential to do this, and he's doing it well.
You guys brought up the brought up Game three of the nineteen eighty one World Series, Fernando one hundred and forty seven pitches that night and the Dodgers five four win over the Yankees out at Dodger Stadium. And that was October twenty third, nineteen eighty one. Today's October twenty third, twenty twenty four, so the anniversary of Game three. And that that outing that you mentioned, Mike, that Fernando had one hundred and forty seven pitches in that Game three unbelievable.
It's unbelievable, it is, And I think that speaks to the heart that Fernando had and his willingness to go out there and help us club to throw that many pitches. And I think that that pitch counter broke somewhere along the line because I think he had more than forty seven. I mean, he was he just kept going like a
pitching machine. And he'll be missed for sure. I think that you can really look at Fernando and even though you know, you know, it's a sad day what he's done for baseball and we're going to continue to do with the legacy he's left is going to be something special to be here for a long time.
Out about it, Mike, thank you so much for joining us this morning. Difficult circumstances as we get ready for Game one of the World Series on Friday. We really appreciate you doing it.
Thanks Mike.
All right, guys, thanks a lot. We'll see you all right there.
He goes the great Mike Soosha, unbelievable. Appreciate it. Mike, thanks you Steve Brenner for helping him set that up. We'll get back to your phone, calls Dusty Baker, another former Dodger. Great, we'll be joining us next hour, Saxy in Saxon Kate's in the am on this Wednesday morning on NFI seventy LA Sports. Thanks for being with us as we remember Fernando Valenzuela passed away at the age
of sixty three yesterday here in southern California. Touched so many lives, so many families on and off the field. Love hearing the stories, Love checking in with great Dodgers like Mike Sosha, Dusty Baker. Next hour and you here on an FI seventy I Sports. Saxon Kate's in the AmAm five seventy LA Sports. You're a home of the Dodgers. Game one of the World Series is coming up on Friday night, five oho eight. First Pitch, Jack Felarity, Garrett Cole,
the pitching matchup Dodgers Yankees. We've got you covered all the coverage for Dodger Baseball right here on your home with the Dodgers. A five seventy sad news last night with the news that Dando Valenzuela passed away at the age of sixty three, way too young. A Dodger icon, a superstar here in Los Angeles. Really transformed the Dodger brand in the nineteen eighty one season with Fernando Mania turning the Dodgers and went to the art today a
global brand. Certainly, what he did in nineteen eighty one in the Latino community, the Mexican community was something we'll never see again. You mentioned it earlier, Saxy. The closest thing we can to see to it is sho hey Otani and the I guess the influence and what he means to a culture, and that being the Japanese culture and globally with the impact he's had. But I mean
you I mean you said it with Mike Soshi. Yeah, imagine this being today Fernando Mania, and and the coverage and the social media and it would be off the charts.
Can you can you imagine Fernando going into arbitration with those numbers that he put up. I mean it, It's almost like they wouldn't even have enough money to pay this dude, you know, because he that's what he meant, because baseball has really taken on a complete a complete knowledge of what a person is not only on the field, but off the field, and what he brings to the box office, and he how he moves the fan base.
Nobody did it like Fernando.
I would venture to say, at least what shoe Hey or Tani does Fernando. Fernando just you know, he just had this, had this whole organization, organization surge to a different level, especially when you are able to in reinvigorate a whole Mexican American community that is just going to pack this house every single time he pitches.
And that's what he brought.
I think a lot of times Baseball gets criticized for their lack of promoting the individual players, and I'll second that by saying they don't do a very good job doing that, quite frankly, and would they have superstars promoting those superstars? And I get baseball as a regional sport, not like football, not like like basketball, but it's a regional sport, and you fall in love with your team, and it's hard to watch a national game of two teams you're maybe not interested in, but you could be
interested in the superstars. And they do a horrible job promoting those superstars. I don't remember, but in nineteen eighty one and then a couple of years after that, did they do a good job in promoting Fernando nationally?
I mean, Aneso, I just don't remember if they did. I look, I agree with you, tim Is, they should do a much better job. When you go down you know, the five Freeway going down to going down to Orange Care, there should have been, you know, billboards everywhere of Otani and Mike Trout.
And when you're going.
Back in Pittsburgh, there should have been billboards everywhere of Lawrence McCutcheon. You know, young, good looking, handsome role models out there, successful people that can really speak to.
Everybody, bring everybody up.
I mean, I think this shit they have these great examples of what is really nice about America baseball, the wholesomeness about baseball, the nice young men that are out there to really set an example for the country. I just think they have a golden opportunity to really stretch that out and bring that forward, and they just don't do it as much as they should.
I don't believe.
No, they don't. And they had it back in eighty one with Fernando Mania. Maybe they didn't realize what they had at the time. Maybe they didn't know how to market it, a kid from Mexico playing for the La Dodgers and making it a national brand. But certainly with shoey Otani now in twenty twenty four, he is a global brand. Eight sixty six, In two, five seventy more your phone calls coming up, Dusty Baker's gonna join us. Love hearing the memories what Fernando meant to you, your family,
and when he meant to La. It's all right here in a five seventy LA Sports