Mural honoring Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela coming to Boyle Heights
BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- There will soon be a new mural celebrating Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela in Boyle Heights.
Once it's complete, Valenzuela will be immortalized on the side of an apartment building. It'll be visible from both directions of the 101 Freeway at 1st Street.
L.A. City Councilman Kevin de León's office commissioned artist Robert Vargas to paint the mural.
UPDATE: The Dodgers legend died on Tuesday at 63 amid undisclosed health issues.
Vargas' work is on display throughout the city of Los Angeles, including a mural of Shohei Ohtani in Little Tokyo.
"This mural is going to be an iconic mural. An instant landmark that will not only be a great source of pride here for people who grew up watching Fernando, but it allows the children of the future to be able to look at an image and see themselves," Vargas said.
Fernando burst onto the scene in 1981 when he threw a shutout on Opening Day. From there, "Fernandomania" was born.
He became a hero, not only to the Latino community in Southern California, but across the country when he pitched when the Dodgers were on the road.
"Fernando is not just a Dodger. Not just an athlete. He's a symbol... of hope, a symbol of aspiration and the fight for representation," de León said at a news conference Monday.
Playwright Josefina Lopez, whose work includes "Real Women Have Curves," remembers when she was a little girl in Boyle Heights meeting the Dodger legend.
"As a kid, when I met him I was like 'wow' when he signed my paper and I was like 'wow, I got to meet Fernando'."
The work on the mural began the day after the Dodgers punched their ticket to the World Series.
Actor Edward James Olmos encouraged the public to come and "watch a master work at the highest level of understanding."
The mural will be done by Nov. 1, which would have been Valenzuela's 64th birthday and Game 6 of the World Series if it becomes necessary.
