This is 99% Invisible. I'm Roman Mars.

In 1979, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed an unknown picture from Mexico,

named Fernando Valenzuela.

A couple of years later in 1981,

Valenzuela made his major league debut as a starting pitcher.

That's producer and Angelino Vivian Lee.

Valenzuela went on to have one of the most remarkable seasons in the history of baseball.

This obscure player from Sonora, Mexico,

became the first player ever to win both the Saiyong Award and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

Valenzuela led the Dodgers all the way to the World Series, where they defeated the New York Yankees.

Fernando Valenzuela, who threw 149 pitches tonight. That wasn't one for the R&U season.

This season will always be remembered in Los Angeles as the year of Fernandomania.

The whole city fell in love with Valenzuela.

And in particular, L.A.'s large Mexican-American community.

We actually had someone a real true Mejicana Plain baseball for a major league team.

This is Edward Santillon, L.A. native and longtime Dodgers fan.

And it was in Los Angeles. And as you know, L.A. is so big and it's full of Latinos.

We're all struggling to make it in this world.

And he actually made it and he made everybody proud.

Edward says there was nothing quite like watching a game at Dodger Stadium

when Valenzuela was pitching.

We would take younger kids that couldn't afford to go to a Dodger game.

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