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.
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.
He passed away the other day. People are really feeling bad out here in L.A. about him, because he was an icon. He was a legend. He was a part of the community. He’ll be missed greatly.”
