Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela died of septic shock, according to his death certificate.
Valenzuela passed away last month at the age of 63, and TMZ obtained his death certificate on Tuesday, which also points to decompensated alcoholic cirrhosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis as underlying causes of the pitcher's death.
Valenzuela, who pitched for the Dodgers for 11 years before taking a job as a baseball broadcaster, was cremated and his remains lie in state at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
According to TMZthe coroner believed Valenzuela suffered from a rare brain disorder known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Valenzuela played a total of 17 seasons in MLB, spending time with the Angels, Orioles, Phillies, Padres and Cardinals after his time with the Dodgers.
He was named an All-Star six times and won the CY Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981.
Valenzuela won the first of his two Silver Slugger Awards in 1981, which was also the year of his World Series victory.
He won 173 games during his MLB career with 2,074 strikeouts and a 3.54 ERA.
The former Dodger served as the ballclub's Spanish-language broadcaster for 22 years, but left that job in September to focus on health reasons.
“Fernando Valenzuela was one of the most influential players of his generation,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Fernando Mania'', he said.
“As a member of the Dodgers broadcast team for more than 20 years, Fernando helped reach a new generation of fans and foster their love for the game. Fernando will always be a beloved figure in Dodgers history. and will remain a special source of pride for the millions of Latino fans he inspired.”
