TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

April 9, 1981 Fernando Valenzuela was forced to start opening day for the Dodgers as Jerry Reuss injured himself 24 hours before the game. Fernando would unleash the second greatest pitching streak in baseball history and turn the Dodger fan base upside down with is incredible performance(s). As Vin Scully would say it was like a religious experience to see what he did.

Mexican Koufax

Once the Dodgers moved to LA, Walter O'Malley, owner, told his management team he wanted to find the Mexican Sandy Kofax. O'Malley knew he wanted to tie into the Latin American Mexican market, but to date, the Dodgers just couldn't get there. Although he did not live to see this, his vision was about to appear in this 5 foot 11, 190-pound pitcher. He had an unorthodox look up at the sky wind up and didn't resemble Sandy. Koufax at all.

The signing

Fernando was born and raised in Sonora, Mexico. He played in Mexican leagues from 1977 to 1979. He was signed by Dodger scout Mike Britto in 1979 He was there to evaluate a shortstop named Ali Uscanga. Valenzuela threw three balls to Uscanga to fall behind in the count and then threw three straight strikes for the strikeout. Brito said later that at that point, he "forgot all about the shortstop". He signed him for $120,000; the Dodgers considered it a gamble, but once he got into the Dodger system, what changed him was he learned a screwball from teammate Bobby Castillo and then perfected how to use it under the tutelage of long-time pitching coach Ron Paranowski.

1980 Debut

Fernando made his debut in 1980 during the stretch run, and at the time, he was the only pitcher throwing a screwball in baseball. He pitched 17 -2 /3 endless innings, helping the Dodgers force a one-game playoff with the Houston Astros. The Dodgers lost. However, the Dodgers got a glimpse at who Fernando was.

On April 9th, with Fernando making his first major league start, he blanks Houston on five hits at Dodger Stadium. Suddenly Fernando Mania was born. Dodger's Vice President Fred Claire would say, "Within 24 hours after he beat the Astros on Wednesday, we sold out the reserved seats for his next scheduled start against the Giants on Monday.

What was about to happen was a streak for all ages. Fernando, in his first eight starts, will win all of them. Seven are complete games, five are shutouts, and he would allow only four earned runs in his first 72 innings pitched in 1981. In streaks of over 80 innings in baseball history, only Bob Gibson's three earned runs in 103 innings in 1968 were better than Fernando's four -earned runs in 89 and 2 /3 of an inning.

During the strike-shortened season, he will win 13 games, pitch 192 innings, toss eight shutouts and 11 complete games, adding 180 strikeouts leading the league in all those stats.

He will become the only pitcher in the history of baseball to win the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award in the same year. He would manage to slip in a Silver Slugger Award pitching, and he will finish fifth in MVP voting.

He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title by going 3-1, rescuing LA against Houston in NLDS. Folks also forget he started the Rick Monday game against Montreal, pitching eight and two-thirds of three-hit, one-run baseball, propelling the Dodgers to face long-time rivals the Yankees yet again in the World Series.

And then he would pitch game three in the World Series. Like the NLDS, the Dodgers were down 2 -0 to the Yankees; Fernando would pitch one of the most gutty games in World Series history. He would throw 147 pitches in the Dodgers' 5 -4 victory, and the Dodgers would not lose another game in the series, beating the Yankees in 6 to capture the 1981 World Series.

"I've never seen anything like it," says KTNQ radio's Jamie Jarin, who has broadcast LA games in Spanish since the Dodgers moved west in 1958. He would say, "I truly believe there's no other player in Major League history who created more fans than Fernando Valenzuela, not Kofax, Drysdale, or DiMaggio, and not even Babe Ruth." Fernando turned so many people from Mexico, Central America, and South America into fans. He created interest in baseball among people who didn't care about baseball.

On the road in 1981, when Fernando pitched, the Dodgers drew an additional 13,000 fans than any other game. In 11 of his

12 home starts in 1981, the Dodgers sold out. The Dodgers had drawn just 3 million fans twice since moving to LA in 1958. In 1982, the Dodgers broke the Major League attendance mark by drawing 3.6 million fans.

The Dodgers would average well over 3 million fans a season during his career. He changed baseball in the fan base for the Dodgers. So much so the number of radio stations broadcasting Dodgers games in Mexico jumped from 3 to 17.

At the height of Fernando Mania, the Spanish broadcasters had more than twice Vince Scully's listening audience.

According to historian Jim Thorn, if you had seen 1981, you would have believed you were seeing the best pitcher who ever lived.

April 9, 1913, the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies play the first game in the history of Ebbets Field. A crowd of 10,000 watches the Phillies win, 1-0. The new ballpark is named after Brooklyn owner Charles Ebbets.

April 9, 1947 – Leo Durocher suspended one year for association with gamblers

On April 9, 1953 -- Pittsburgh's one-sided pre-season victory over the defending World Champions notwithstanding, today's main attraction is 21-year-old Mickey Mantle, as the Yankees' young phenom becomes just the third batter in Forbes Field's 44-year history—after Babe Ruth in 1935 and Teddy Beard in 1950—to clear the 89-foot-high right field roof.

April 9, 1959, the Baltimore Orioles become the first team in major league history to turn a triple play on Opening Day. Roy Sievers lead off the bottom of the 5th against Hoyt Wilhelm and drew a walk, Bob Allision the next batter collected a bunt single, with runners at first and second, Ed Fitz Gerald stepped in against Wilhem. The Senators were already up 5-0, and the game was getting close to out of hand. Ed Fitz Gerald hit a line drive to first, which was snared by first baseman Bob Boyd. Boyd fired to shortstop Chico Carrasquel, who stepped on second to double up Roy Sievers. His return throw to Boyd caught Bob Allison off base, completing the triple play.

April 9, 1962 -- President John F. Kennedy throws out the first ball to open the baseball season at new $23-million District of Columbia Stadium. Keeping a Laotian prince waiting in the White House. Despite raindelay, a record Washington crowd of 42,143 shows up to see Senators pitcher Bennie Daniels stop Detroit with a five-hit, 4 - 1 victory. JFK stays for the entire game and enjoys seeing Mickey Vernon's Senators, unfortunatly the Senators will lose 100 games for there second consecutive season.

April 9, 1965 - Mickey Mantle hits the first home run in the history of the Astrodome

April 9, 1970 -- "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio, A nation turns its lonely eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo), What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson Joltin' Joe has left and gone away, (Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)." - PAUL SIMON, song writer. 1970 On the Dick Cavett Show, Paul Simon tells Mickey Mantle the lyrics to Mrs. Robinson would have been 'Where have you gone, Mickey Mantle' but explains to his favorite player, "it's about syllables, Mick. It's about how many beats there are." The songwriter's well-known lyrics becomes, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio, A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

April 9, 1977 -- "I have never seen such stupid ballplaying in my life." - RAY KROC, the Padres owner, addressing the fans on the PA system during the home opener at San Diego Stadium.During the home opener against Houston at San Diego Stadium, Ray Kroc, the Padres' new owner, uses the ballpark's public address system to thank the fans and berate the players for their poor play. At the start of the fast-food tycoon's eighth-inning tirade, a streaker jumps over the railing of the stands in left field and runs haphazardly across the field.

April 9, 1985 -- at County Stadium Tom Seaver establishes a big-league record with his 15th Opening Day assignment, Seaver pitched 6 2/3 innings earning the victory in the White Sox's 4-2 win over Milwaukee. The right-hander, who also got the first-day nods from the Mets (1968-77, 1983) and Reds (1978-79, 1981), will extend the mark previously held by Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators to 16 next season.

April 9, 1985 -- On the Dome's 20th Anniversary, Nolan Ryan leads a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles, surviving a first-inning kiss from Morganna who also smooches Dickie Thon before the police arrest her. Thon was hit in the face by a Mike Torrez pitch a year and a day ago, Thon returns to the Houston Astros lineup and goes 1 for 4 off Fernando Valenzuela. Thon will hit just .207 before going back on the disabled list with recurring vision problems.

April 9, 1993 — Bo Knew,” – Nike’s full-page ad in tomorrow’s USA Today. Bo Jackson, in his first at-bat after eighteen months of rehab following his hip replacement surgery, connects for a home run with his first swing of the season in the team’s 11-6 Opening Day loss to New York at Comiskey Park. En route to being named the AL Comeback Player of the Year, the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner, will hit 16 home runs and collect 45 RBIs in 85 games, contributing to the White Sox’s American League West Division title.

April 9, 2001, Hall of Famer Willie Stargell dies at the age of 61. Stargell, who had been in failing health because of kidney problems, played key roles on the Pirates’ two world champions of the 1970s. He hit 48 home runs in 1971 and shared the NL’s MVP Award in 1979. Nicknamed “Pops” for his leadership skills, Stargell was named Pirates captain in 1974

.April 9, 2001 -- Pittsburgh's PNC Park makes its major league debut as hometown product Sean Casey leads the visiting Reds past the Pirates, 8 - 2. The Reds first baseman, who hit the first home run ever at Miller Park three days ago, goes 4 for 4 and again has the honor of hitting the first home run in a major league park's history. The bat which was used to hit both historic homers is sent to the Hall of Fame.

TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Who was the first rookie to start Opening Day for the Dodgers?

Name the other 3.

IF you think you know the answer and bonus points for how many respond with details and if you are right I will give you a shut out! No Googling!

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 ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA

YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA: Bill Russell makes his major league debut, he will be the games played all time leader for the Dodgers at shortstop and be part of the Dodgers infield that set the record for games played together.

Name the other 3.

Answer: From 1973 to 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers played a majority of their games with a starting infield consisting of four players: Steve Garvey at first base, Davey Lopes at second, Ron Cey at third, and Bill Russell at shortstop. Beginning on June 23, 1973, and lasting until Game 6 of the 1981 World Series, the quartet set a record in Major League Baseball for the length of time the same four players were designated as starters at those positions—eight-and-a-half years.

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