Fernando Valenzuela Becomes the First Rookie to Win the Cy Young

On November 11, 1981, Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first rookie in baseball history to win the Cy Young Award. He edged the Cincinnati Reds' Tom Seaver in the National League voting, 70 points to 67, capping one of the most extraordinary debut seasons any pitcher had ever produced.

Valenzuela was 20 years old. He had grown up in the small town of Etchohuaquila in Sonora, Mexico, and spoke almost no English when he arrived in the major leagues. None of that slowed him down. He started the 1981 season with eight consecutive wins, five of them shutouts. His screwball baffled National League lineups. Fans who had never heard his name in March were chanting it by May.

The phenomenon had a name. Fernandomania swept through Los Angeles and extended across the country, particularly in Latino communities. Dodger Stadium sold out whenever Valenzuela pitched. He drew fans who had never watched baseball before and might not have watched without him.

In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Valenzuela went 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA, 180 strikeouts, 11 complete games, and eight shutouts. He also won the Rookie of the Year Award and a Silver Slugger. The Dodgers won the World Series that October, beating the Yankees in six games, with Valenzuela earning the Game 3 victory.

No rookie had won the Cy Young in the award's first 25 years of existence. Valenzuela did it while carrying a cultural movement on his shoulders. He pitched in Los Angeles for 11 seasons and won 141 games, but nothing matched the electricity of 1981.