Baseball related songs: “Fernando” by the Baseball Project

In this episode of Baseball related songs, we pay attention to Fernando of the Baseball Project. Fernando is the only song in Spanish performed by the group. It won’t come as a surprise that the song is about the former Mexican phenom Fernando Valenzuela.

Fernando Valenzuela debuted in the Majors in 1980 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Valenzuela was notable for his unorthodox windup and for being one of a small number of pitchers who threw a screwball on a regular basis.

His debut came late in the 1980 season but in 1981, he rose from a rather unknown pitcher to an absolute star resulting in the so-called Fernandomania. As he never was a hard thrower, the question arises if he would have made it to the Bigs nowadays as MLB clubs feast on hard-throwing pitchers.

In a 17-year career, Valenzuela pitched for six different clubs: Dodgers (1980-1990), California Angels (1991), Orioles (1993), Phillies (1994), Padres (1995-1997) and Cardinals (1997).

Valenzuela’s Palmares are as follows:

6× All-Star (1981–1986)
World Series champion (1981)
NL Cy Young Award (1981)
NL Rookie of the Year (1981)
Gold Glove Award (1986)
2× Silver Slugger Award (1981, 1983)
NL wins leader (1986)
MLB strikeout leader (1981)
Pitched a no-hitter in 1990

Fernando can be found on the album Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails and was release in 2008.

The lyrics of Fernando are as follows:

Yo trabajo en Chavez Ravine
Donde mi gente
Perdieron sus casas
vente anos pasado
Y ahora todo el mundo
Me quiere pero nadie sabe
Lo que yo hablo
Despues del partido
Fernando, Fernando
Te necesitamos ahora

Dicen que fue un mania
Fernandomania!
Y por que
Me quiere tanto
Cuando hoy
No le gusta mi gente
Cuando no estan jugando
El juego Americano (ch)

Le gente dicen, “devuelvense”
Y por que cuando
Hemos vivido aqui
Por tantos anos
Pero en ochenta y uno
Me quiere, me quiere
Y ahora que ha cambiado
Quiero saber(ch)

In English, the lyrics are as follows:

I work at Chavez Ravine Where my people
They lost their homes come last years
And now everybody He loves me but nobody knows
What I speak After the match Fernando, Fernando We need you now

They say it was a mania Fernandomania!
And because He loves me so much
When, today He doesn’t like my people
When they are not playing The American game (ch)

People say, “come back”
And why when We have lived here For so many years
But in eighty-one He loves me, he loves me
And now that has changed I want to know (ch)