Dodgers' Jack Flaherty Dons the Late Fernando Valenzuela's Jersey Before Game 1 Start

The Los Angeles pitcher paid tribute to a franchise icon.
Jack Flaherty speaking to the media.
Jack Flaherty speaking to the media. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers will play the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees with heavy hearts, having lost franchise icon Fernando Valenzuela on Tuesday at the age of 63.

However, a fellow Dodgers pitcher—Jack Flaherty—is making sure Valenzuela is not forgotten.

Flaherty, who is scheduled to start Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees' Gerrit Cole Friday, arrived at Dodger Stadium wearing Valenzuela's trademark No. 34 jersey.

Valenzuela pitched for Los Angeles from 1980 to '90, and later worked as a Spanish-language broadcaster for the team from 2003 to '24. He won 141 games for the Dodgers, and helped supercharge the team's popularity with the area's Mexican population.

Flaherty, for his part, is 1–2 with a 7.04 ERA this postseason. The pitcher was born in Burbank, Calif. and attended high school in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles also beat New York in the 1981 World Series—the first in which Valenzuela pitched.

More of the Latest Around MLB

feed


Published |Modified
Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .