Former MLB Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela has Died at 63 Years Old

It was the summer of 1994 and the Phillies Macho Row wasn't so macho anymore.

The 1993 Phillies were one of the most popular teams in Philadelphia sports history, but the 1994 team was a broken-down shell of itself.

One of the memories of that season was watching left-handed pitcher Fernando Valenzuela pitch every fifth day. He only pitched in eight games that season, but seeing Fernandomania on the mound was pretty cool.

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He had a unique delivery, looking up to the heavens, before delivering his famous screwball to the player.

He went just 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 45 innings during the 1994 season.

Valenzuela died on Wednesday morning after a long battle with liver cancer at the age of 63.

He burst on the Major League scene in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and “Fernandomania” was born, winning the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in his first season.

He was a six-time All-Star and finished in the Top 5 of the Cy Yong voting five times.

With the Yankees facing the Dodgers in the World Series starting Friday, Valenzuela helped the Dodgers defeat the Yankees in the 1981 series, tossing a complete game with seven strikeouts in Game 3.

Overall he finished 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA and 2,074 strikeouts in 2,930 innings pitched in 453 games.