MLB legend Dave Winfield remembers Fernando Valenzuela ahead of World Series Game 1

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.”

The 63-year-old died at a Los Angeles hospital. He had reportedly been battling an illness.

“He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” Dodgers team president and CEO Stan Kasten said. “He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster. He has left us all too soon.”