New mural at Dodger Stadium honors Fernando | College News
Nine months after his death, Fernando Valenzuela stands immortalized in a new mural on the loge‑stage wall at Dodger Stadium — a vibrant fusion of artwork and legacy unveiled Saturday.
Painted by Mexican American artist Robert Vargas, the mural reveals Valenzuela tipping his cap to the sky in a Dodgers Mexican‑heritage jersey — that includes a inexperienced sleeve, pink sleeve, white heart — alongside two hanging photographs of Valenzuela in his pitching stance. Vargas mentioned the mural is supposed to symbolize unity within the Latino group.
“I felt it very important to show that the Latino community has a place within these walls and has had a place within these walls,” Vargas mentioned.
He wished to mirror Valenzuela’s spirit that still lives in the hearts of many followers and function the person behind the participant.
“What he did in the community, is what resonates so much more for me than just the player — but the man, the person that he was,” Vargas mentioned.
Valenzuela performed for the Dodgers from 1980 to 1990. He grew up in Etchohuaquila, a small city in Mexico, and took Major League Baseball by storm in 1981, incomes rookie of the yr and Cy Young honors. Latino followers who beforehand felt little connection to the Dodgers had been thrilled to see one of their own successful, sparking Fernandomania. Valenzuela wore No. 34 and it stays a well-liked jersey worn by followers at Dodger Stadium.
Claudio Campo choked up as he gazed at the tribute. Traveling from Phoenix with his son to have a good time the boy’s eleventh birthday, Campo shared reminiscences of a participant whose greatness felt deeply personal. Valenzuela’s nickname, “El Toro,” are inked on Campo’s left arm.
“He was a staple for the people that didn’t have anything and then where he came from showed that anything is possible if you go ahead and revive what you are,” Claudio mentioned.
Fans holding Valenzuela bobbleheads given away by the Dodgers took their footage in entrance of the new mural Saturday night time.
Longtime fan Dulce Gonzalez held back emotion as she confirmed off her shirt with the identify “Valenzuela” written across it, describing the explanation she began watching baseball.
“He was the first Latino player I could truly connect with and be proud of,” she mentioned.
For Gonzalez, Valenzuela’s story resonated because he got here from the identical roots, offering illustration she had longed for.
“We are a melting pot of races here, people love baseball from all races, but because I am Latina, I feel a little bit more connected,” she mentioned.
Her son, Nicolas, dressed in a pink and inexperienced Dodgers Mexican-heritage jersey, mentioned Valenzuela helped heal some wounds after Mexican American households had been displaced from their properties in Chavez Ravine shortly before Dodger Stadium was constructed on the identical land.
“He really opened the city up to the Dodgers after a long difficult entry and he really represented triumph over adversity,” Nicolas mentioned.
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