The years 1981 and 2024 in the Major Leagues cannot be fully described without talking about Fernando Valenzuela and Shohei Ohtani, two of the players who brought with them the most transcendent phenomena in the history of baseball.
Two different eras and two different cultures, Mexico and Japan on everyone’s lips in a market dominated by Americans. The weight of these figures, who arrived without knowing the language, led them to focus their attention on the paradise of Los Angeles and began to question some, about which movement has gained greater relevance the ‘Fernandomania’ or the ‘Ohtanimamania’?
‘Fernandomania’: a ray of hope for Spanish speakers
We cannot take our finger off the line regarding the hostile moment that was taking place within the United States, from the demolition of the Mexican-American community in Chavez Ravine for the construction of Dodger Stadium to the migration phenomenon in which thousands of Hispanics were expelled from the country a huge call for hope from Latinos who had no reference in whom to once again place their faith.
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With this, Fernando Valenzuela arrived at the Los Angeles mound at just 19 years old, making his debut against the Braves as a pitcher for a Dodgers team that was suffering from this cultural rift, with many empty seats and commercial profits on the floor. With this experience and with Jerry Reuss injured, manager Tommy Lasorda gave him the vote of confidence to be the starter on Opening Day in 1981, without even knowing the phenomenon that was about to explode Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and World Series champion, all in the same year.
As a result of his confidence and humility on the mound with a ‘Chicano’ style never seen before, the Spanish-speaking fans immediately flooded the Los Angeles stadium to see one of their own. The identity of a baseball player who saw in children and adults how it was possible to dream again all being part of ‘Fernandomania’.
The numbers spoke for themselves, as in 22 of the 25 series in which Valenzuela appeared on the mound during 1981, the maximum number of tickets possible was sold, attracting 48,431 fans to Dodger Stadium, which meant an increase of 7,519 more than the regular attendance.
Not only that, ‘El Toro’ was the pitcher of his time who attracted the most visiting fans, above Vida Blue ( 28,754 in 1971 ) and Mickey Lolich (24,383 in 1973) , reaching an average of 33,273 fans while in the rest of the games in which the Dodgers appeared in other fields, he only had an average of 19,456 spectators, according to statistics from Mike Petriello, MLB statistical analyst.
If we measure the growth in attendance for each season in which the ‘Fernandomania’ fervor was experienced, the numbers end up being surprising, leading us to the question of why Valenzuela is not in the Hall of Fame, beyond his statistics on the mound?
Of the 157 games Valenzuela played in Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium saw an increase of 25,149 fans from 1981 to 1990 while attendance records reached an increase of 33,224 fans in 164 games.
“When we left Los Angeles, I was surprised to see the stadiums with 10,000 more people,” Valenzuela himself told Hugo Sanchez, the legendary scorer who, along with ‘El Toro’ and Julio Cesar Chavez, eclipsed Mexico and he was not wrong in his statement.
‘Ohtanimamania’: Hollywood’s new star
Throughout nearly 150 years of putting the most coveted ball in baseball into play, the Major Leagues have seen great players step onto the diamond, but history has placed Babe Ruth in a very privileged place as an all-round player never before seen until the arrival of Shohei Ohtani, who has proclaimed himself as the new face of the MLB.
The 29-year-old phenom has amazed the baseball world with his ambivalence on the diamond. When he takes the mound as a pitcher, he stuns everyone with his bazooka for a right arm, and when he steps into the batter’s box, he leaves everyone stunned with his powerful home runs.
Not for nothing, Ohtani landed the most lucrative contract in the history of the sport when he signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, carrying on his shoulders the label of being the face of the organization.
Since his arrival in California, the Japanese have forged a wave of fans in the international market, leading the Dodgers to conquer every corner with a 30% increase in fans around the world and 22% of buyers in Japan based on the number of tickets purchased as of March 14, 2024, on StubHub North America and viagogo by consumers in that country for 2024 MLB regular season games.
This was reflected in every Dodgers game, being the most sought-after team during the 2024 campaign both at home and away, reaching an average ticket price of $122 dollars. As if that were not enough, they won the most in-demand opening game against the Saint Louis Cardinals with tickets of up to $533 dollars, which was Ohtani’s debut with the Los Angeles jersey.
Ohtani’s success in 2024 was not only summed up by his historic 50/50, but he also topped the list of best-selling jerseys in 2024 after getting it in 2023 with the Angels. Likewise, his first bobbleheads as part of the Dodgers caused a stir among fans, causing long lines and reselling for up to approximately $1,800 dollars.
Both Fernando and Shohei had the opportunity to play in a World Series in their first year with the Dodgers, although the Mexican was hired in 1979, he made the jump to full-time in 1981 where he managed to win his first ring.
