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The World Series pits a couple of familiar opponents this year: The Dodgers and the Yankees, who are meeting in the Fall Classic for the 12th time. I’m not old enough to remember the rivalry’s earliest days, when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn and the Yankees in the Bronx. That’s when baseball games were played during the day, teams traveled by train and starting pitchers were expected to go the distance.
But I do remember the renewal of the rivalry, with the teams squaring off in the World Series three times during a five-year stretch. That was in 1977, 1978 and 1981. I was just starting to follow Major League Baseball in the mid-1970s, and I watched as many games as I could and read everything I could get my hands on.
The Dodgers were and still are my favorite team. No, I never lived in California. My parents picked a Dodgers game for a trip to Atlanta, and I immediately adopted Los Angeles.
(If you’re my age or older, you know how bad the Braves were in the 1970s.) The Dodgers lost the 1977 and 1978 World Series to the Yankees, breaking my heart in the process. In 1977 it was because Reggie Jackson launched three home runs in the decisive Game 6.
The next year it was the Dodgers squandering a 2-0 lead. The Dodgers tanked in 1979, and in 1980 they had a battle down the stretch that left them tied for the NL West with the Houston Astros. The Dodgers lost a one-game playoff to decide who would advance.
I was crushed — again. Labor strife in baseball was the story line going into the 1981 season, but my attention was soon diverted by a young left-handed pitcher the Dodgers had called up late in 1980. His name was Fernando Valenzuela, and he soon captured the hearts of baseball fans all over the globe.
“Fernandomania” swept the baseball world as the young pitcher from Mexico dominated National League opponents. He was thrust into a starting role on Opening Day, and he shut out the Astros. That was just the beginning as he started the season 8-0 with five shutouts.
I remember getting up in the middle of the night to check cable TV highlights on the nights he pitched — this was well before social media or the internet. Sadly, Valenzuela passed away at age 63 earlier this week. The team announced in early October he was stepping away from his duties as a Spanish-language broadcaster for the team so he could focus on his health.
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They met the Montreal Expos in the NL Championship Series, and again Valenzuela pitched brilliantly. He got the decision in blustery conditions in the deciding Game 5, and the Dodgers were on their way to another World Series against the Yankees. The Dodgers dropped the first two games, but it was Valenzuela who gritted his way through a victory in Game 3.
He threw 147 pitches as Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda stuck with his young phenom. That propelled the Dodgers to four consecutive wins and a World Series trophy. After the season, Valenzuela was awarded the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards.
He was the first to accomplish that feat. It’s hard to overlook Valenzuela’s importance to the game and his influence, particularly with Spanish-speaking fans. RIP, El Toro.
This year the focus of the World Series will be on each team’s megastar: Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers, and Aaron Judge for the Yankees. There are plenty of stars to support them, but MLB got the dream matchup it wanted. I’ve seen some people complain about “another” Dodgers-Yankees matchup, but this is the first time they’ve met in the World Series in 43 years.
And although history favors the Yankees, I prefer to look at it another way. After losing the first five World Series meetings, the Dodgers have split with the Yankees in the last six. My prediction? The Dodgers in six games.
If it goes that far, Game 6 will be Nov. 1 — Fernando Valenzuela’s birthday. Thanks for reading.
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