Fernando Valenzuela, beloved former Dodger known as “El Toro,” has reportedly been hospitalized

According to multiple news reports, Fernando Valenzuela, the popular Dodger pitcher-turned-broadcaster who rose to fame in the 1980s, has been hospitalized for unknown medical reasons.

Valenzuela, who was born in the Mexican state of Sonora, spent 11 seasons of his 17-year MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and inspired the so-called “Fernandomania” after joining the team during the 1980 season. In 1981, the Dodgers won the World Series after suffering defeats in the previous two decades before securing another title in 1988 with Valenzuela.

“Fernando Valenzuela is hospitalized with health issues after resigning from his duties with the Dodgers last week,” David Faitelson of TelevisaUnivision (TUDN) posted on social media Monday.

Last week, Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group reported that Valenzuela, 63, had left the Spanish-language broadcast team indefinitely to join the Dodgers. The franchise declined to give a reason, but Plunkett reported that Valenzuela was unlikely to return to the playoffs.

That of the beloved player Jersey number 34 has been retired Last year, he cemented his place in Dodgers history as the 12th player to receive the honor. The retirement was celebrated with a special celebration of “Fernandomania” over the weekend, which began with a ceremony at Elysian Park Stadium where his number was cut into the pitch's turf and engraved in white on the back of the mound.

“It’s very emotional” He told a room packed with English and Spanish speaking reporters before the ceremony. “I never expected that.”

Nicknamed “El Toro,” he was known for his unorthodox pitching style, often throwing screwballs with a signature windup and high leg kick before almost every pitch. He was also widely credited with popularizing the team and even the sport itself among Mexican-American fans.

“He created more baseball fans and Dodger fans than any other player,” Jaime Jarrín, the former broadcaster who broadcast Dodger games from 1959 to 2022, said in a Major League Baseball profile. “Because of this kid, people fell in love with baseball. Especially in the Mexican community.”

Cruz Angeles, director of a 2010 ESPN documentary about Valenzuela, said the popular pitcher was particularly inspirational to a certain group of fans in the 1980s, according to MLB Profile.

“For my generation, I'm talking about the competition generation,” Angeles said. “All fathers wanted their sons to be the next Fernando Valenzuela, and we all imitated his way of looking at the sky, putting our hands up in the air and so on. He was one of us, and we wanted to be like him.”