Former MLB star dead at 63 after being hospitalized earlier in month

Fernando Valenzuela died Tuesday at the age of 63.

The Mexican-born pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers won the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981.

The team said he died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not provide the cause or other details.

His death comes as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series on Friday night at home against the New York Yankees. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, per The Associated Press, said Valenzuela would be honored during the series at Dodger Stadium.

Valenzuela, who inspired “Fernandomania,” had left his color commentator job on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcast in September without explanation. He was reported to have been hospitalized earlier this month. His job kept him as a regular at Dodger Stadium, where he held court in the press box dining room before games and remained popular with fans who sought him out for photos and autographs.

“God bless Fernando Valenzuela!” actor and Dodgers fan Danny Trejo posted on X.

“63 is way too young…. A piece of my childhood is gone,” actor and “Access Hollywood” co-host Mario Lopez posted on X. “Growing up as a Mexican kid one of the main reasons I’m a Dodgers fan is because of Fernando. … Not only a great player, but a great man to the community. What a legend.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.