Dodger great and former Charros pitcher Fernando “El Toro” Valenzuela returns to Guadalajara this weekend as the special guest of honor for the three-game series against the Tomateros (Tomatogrowers) de Culiacan.
The Charros play Friday, November 14, 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 15, 5 p.m. and Sunday, November 16, noon at the Estadio de Béisbol Charros de Jalisco y Atletismo in Zapopan (Luis Farah and Boulevard Pan mericano).
In 1981, as a 20-year-old, Valenzuela took Los Angeles to the World Series, becoming the only player in Major League history to win the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards in the same season.
He returned to Mexico after his Major League career ended, signing with the Charros in 1992 and 1994, when the franchise was sold after running into financial difficulties.
Considered the finest pitcher ever produced in Mexico, Valenzuela will be feted during Friday’s game, when at the end of the sixth innings the number 32 jersey – that he wore during his spell with the Charros – will be retired.
On Saturday at 4 p.m, Valenzuela will unveil a bronze statue of himself outside the stadium. He will sign autographs for children with tickets either before or during Sunday’s game.
Since 2003, Valenzuela has worked as a Spanish-language color commentator for the Dodgers. His son, Fernando Jr., is on the Charros roster but has yet to appear this season.
Table toppers
Few fans would have expected the new Charros franchise to be leading the Mexican Pacific League in their first season back in pro baseball for two decades (see table below).
Everything seems to have gone right for the Charros. Importantly, fans have got behind the team, with average attendances running around the 7,000 mark in the 11,000-capacity stadium. The team has gelled quickly under coach Juan Navarrete and benefitted from some excellent pitching, especially from U.S. import Graham Godfrey (4-0, 1.55) and Marco Tovar (4-0, 1.91), assisted by reliever Brian Broderick of the United States with nine saves. On the batting side, Jose Manuel Rodriguez is third in the overall league rankings with an average of .350, while Japhet Amador and Leo Heras lead the home run standings with nine and seven respectively.
Bullying, cap shortage
In other Charros news, the team has partnered up with an LMP campaign to fight bullying in schools. Charros players joined kids this week to launch the program in Hermosillo, Sonora.
And such is the interest in the winning Charros outfit that “official” baseballs caps are in short supply. Vendors freely hawk rip-offs (along with t-shirts) outside the stadium on game days, but the club store has nonetheless been doing a roaring trade. Extra caps are being churned out for this weekend, we are informed!
