Fernandomania flashbacks: How the Dodgers legend's rise to fame began with the Astros

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The day before the season was to begin, the Los Angeles Dodgers manager suddenly needed an Opening Day pitcher to face the defending National League West champion Houston Astros. Jerry Reuss had tweaked a calf jogging in the Dodger Stadium parking lot and Burt Hooton was dealing with an ingrown toenail.

Lasorda turned to the cherubic left-hander getting his work in on the side, the rookie who had never started a game in the big leagues and was slated to be the Dodgers' No. 3 starter after making 10 scoreless appearances as a September call-up the previous season.

Lasorda looked Fernando Valenzuela, who was all of 20 years old, up and down and asked if he was ready to start the next day.

"Claro," Valenzuela shot back. "Si."

Of course. Yes.

And with that, Fernandomania was born. All Valenzuela did the afternoon of April 9, 1981, was baffle the Astros with a complete-game, five-hit shutout as the Dodgers won 2-0 in a spiffy 2 hours, 17 minutes.

"It was one of my greatest games, one of my biggest moments because we won the game," Valenzuela told ESPN.com this week. "It was important I do good. I didn't know if [I] would stay in the rotation.

"Those are good memories."

And now, with the Dodgers playing those same Astros in the World Series (Houston moved to the NL Central in 1994 before relocating to the American League West in 2013), those flashbacks are all too tangible.

It all began with the Astros.