Fernando Valenzuela served as a cultural ambassador for Mexican Americans, Mexicans

LOS ANGELES -- For baseball fans, "Fernandomania" marked a flash of pitching brilliance, the emergence of a unique talent in the history of one of the sport's most storied franchises.

For Mexicans and Mexican Americans, Fernando Valenzuela was something even greater: a beacon of hope, inspiration and pride.

Valenzuela, a Mexican-born phenomenon for the Los Angeles Dodgers, died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, the team said. He was 63.

For some, his death prompted memories of watching the left-hander pitch at home with their parents, not out of a love of sports but because of a surge of Mexican or Latino pride. They reflect on the doors he opened for future generations and the cultural impact he ushered as a Mexican.

Valenzuela's rise from humble beginnings as the youngest of 12 children in Mexico and his feats on the mound made him hugely popular and influential in the Latino community while helping attract new fans to Major League Baseball. Their fondness for him continued after his retirement.