MLB legend Dave Winfield remembers Fernando Valenzuela ahead of World Series Game 1

Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield was 0-for-3 in five plate appearances against Fernando Valenzuela in Game 3 of the 1981 World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Valenzuela and the Dodgers won the game on their way to a World Series title.

The star pitcher was on the minds of the Dodgers and several other baseball figures, including Winfield, before Game 1 on Friday night as the two teams started their latest World Series matchup. Valenzuela died earlier in the week, and the Dodgers honored him with a No. 34 patch on their World Series jerseys.

Winfield recalled Valenzuela’s impact on baseball in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“Fernando was a great player,” Winfield said. “He didn’t look like a baseball player, but he certainly was an awesome presence on the field. We faced him in the World Series in 1981. We had never seen him before. He was a rookie, he ends up being Cy Young Award winner, All-Star and all

He passed away the other day. People are really feeling bad out here in L.A. about him, because he was an icon. He was a legend. He was a part of the community. He’ll be missed greatly.”

The 63-year-old died at a Los Angeles hospital. He had reportedly been battling an illness.