Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield talks to Fox News Digital about Fernando Valenzuela's impact on the game. Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield was 0-for-3 in five plate appearances against Fernando Valenzuela in Game 3 of the 1981 World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Valenzuela and the Dodgers won the game on their way to a World Series title. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM FILE - Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela throws the ceremonial first pitch during the MLB All-Star baseball game, July 19, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File) The star pitcher was on the minds of the Dodgers and several other baseball figures, including Winfield, before Game 1 on Friday night as the two teams started their latest World Series matchup.
Valenzuela died earlier in the week, and the Dodgers honored him with a No. 34 patch on their World Series jerseys. Winfield recalled Valenzuela’s impact on baseball in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Fernando was a great player," Winfield said. "He didn’t look like a baseball player, but he certainly was an awesome presence on the field.
We faced him in the World Series in 1981. We had never seen him before. He was a rookie, he ends up being Cy Young Award winner, All-Star and all that. FOLLOW GAME 2 OF THE WORLD SERIES ON FOX SPORTS Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman wears a patch on his jersey in memory of former Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela after Game 1 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Friday, Oct.