Baseball: It may be time for some ‘Eddie-mania’ at Dodger Stadium

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This is the story of a young left-handed pitcher in Los Angeles who put a team on his back and led them to a championship at Dodger Stadium.

I’m talking about Fernando Valenzuela and the 1981 Dodgers, but the same story line might also apply to Northview sophomore Eddie Pedroza, pictured, who will be in the bullpen for the Vikings in their Southern Section-Toyota Division IV championship game this afternoon against Diamond Ranch at Dodger Stadium.

When I wrote this feature about the Pedrozas, Eddie’s father, Pablo, said his son reminded him of Valenzuela in the way he would approach a hitter -- which is to say with great breaking stuff and without fear. Eddie is a lifelong Dodgers fan, but Pablo will probably be the one to cherish every moment of this day as he is still recovering from a stroke that nearly took his life almost two months ago.

It should be a good day for the Pedroza family overall. Eddie’s nephew, Richie, the team’s shortstop, will be the first in his family to play at Dodger Stadium, even though both of his older brothers, Sergio and Jaime, were drafted by the Dodgers out of college. Richie, who’s a junior, has already given Cal State Fullerton a commitment.

-- Jaime Cardenas

-- Photo credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times