On May 14, 1981, Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers won his eighth consecutive game against the Montreal Expos, marking a historic feat in his rookie season. This game attracted the largest crowd at Dodger Stadium in seven years. Valenzuela recorded a significant win despite allowing two homers, supported by a walk-off home run from Pedro Guerrero. His unblemished record stood with a 0.50 ERA, showcasing his dominance with multiple shutouts. Furthermore, Valenzuela's legacy includes becoming the first pitcher to win both Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award in the same season, celebrated 40 years later.
Fernando, on many levels, has impacted not only the Mexican community, Major League Baseball, the Dodgers. He's just such a good man. I didn't realize it's been 40 years.
With that win, the left-hander improved to 8-0 with a minuscule 0.50 ERA, 68 strikeouts over 72 innings while holding opponents to a .172/.225/.212 batting line.
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