Valenzuela enjoyed his breakout year in 1981, when "Fernandomania" rapidly catapulted him from relative obscurity to stardom. He won his first eight starts, five of them shutouts, and finished with a win–loss record of 13–7 and had a 2.48 earned run average (ERA) in a season that was shortened by a player's strike. He became the first, and as of 2024, only player to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. The Dodgers won the World Series that year.
Valenzuela enjoyed his breakout year in 1981, when "Fernandomania" rapidly catapulted him from relative obscurity to stardom He won his first eight starts five of them shutouts, an,d finished with a win–loss record of 13–7 and had a 2.48 earned run average (ERA) in a season that was shortened by a player's strike. He became the first, and as of 2024 only player ?to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. The Dodgers won the World Series that year.