On this day in 1862, the Mexican army defeated French forces at the Battle of Puebla. As a result of this victory and per Wikipedia (so it must be accurate), Cinco de Mayo has come to be observed annually as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride in the U.S. and around the world.I'd like to take a few moments this Cinco de Mayo to appreciate the 8 games Fernando Valenzuela pitched for the Phillies during the strike-shortened 1994 season. Born in Navojoa, Mexico in 1960 (possibly), Fernando burst upon the national scene in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished that season as a NL All-Star, the NL Rookie of the Year and as the NL Cy Young.
In June 1994, the Phillies took a chance on Fernando and thrust him into a starting rotation decimated by injuries. He pitched to a respectable record of 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA, with 19 strikeouts over 45 innings pitched. Alas, Fernandomania was not to last in Philly, as he left after the season via free agency to sign with the San Diego Padres.
¡Viva Fernando!
One of my all-time favorite sets too!
ReplyDeleteThe look on Fernando's face is priceless. I can't tell if it's more of a "Was that supposed to be the fastball? Good, just checking," look or more of a "please don't let this be a home run ball" kind of a look. Either way he's eying that ball pretty dubiously.
Or maybe he's looking at the glove. It's hard to tell.
ReplyDeleteThe classic Fernando look to the sky before delivering the pitch move . . . It still looks strange seeing it in a Phillies uniform. If memory serves me, there's a few more cards out there of Fernando (in a Dodgers' uni) giving the same glance skyward.
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