The story seems like something from a fairy tale. A bashful, portly teenager from a tiny speck of a town in Mexico, the youngest of 12 children who grew up in a home with no running water, debuts with the Los Angeles Dodgers at 19.

His left arm is seemingly gifted from the heavens, which also uncannily is the direction he glances — skyward, uniquely and unforgettably — at the apex of his windup on each pitch. And at 20, in the glorious summer of 1981, with that majestic windup and magnetic charisma, “Fernandomania” roared to life. Fernando Valenzuela, the paunchy and enigmatic left-hander, had a season for the ages.

It was incredible at the time, still almost too good to be true today — and yet there was absolutely nothing folkloristic about it.

“He really did wonders not only for the Dodgers, but for baseball in general,” said Jaime Jarrín, the team’s Hall of Fame Spanish-language broadcaster. “Because he was the center of attention not only with Latinos, but with Anglos as well.

“People realized he was an extraordinary pitcher,” said Mr. Jarrín, who retired in 2022 after 64 years in the booth. “People from Mexico, central Mexico, who were indifferent to baseball, they all liked boxing, but Fernando had that magic touch that made people start wondering about baseball and coming to the stadium.”