BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Valenzuela Gets New Start With Guadalajara Today

Fernando Valenzuela resumes his efforts to get back to the major leagues today with his first start in eight months--in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“That’s the reason I’m here. I’m trying to come back to the majors,” he said Saturday of his return to his homeland. “I’ll just try to do my job here and then we’ll wait and see what happens.”

Valenzuela, 32, was a star for a decade with the Dodgers. But he was released before last season, signed with the Angels and split time between the majors and minors. The Angels let him go after the season ended and last month he joined the Jalisco Charros in the Mexican Baseball League on a contract with the Detroit Tigers--a Charros affiliate.

But any budding Fernandomania at the return of Mexico’s most famed major league star has been dampened by reality.

A sewer explosion April 22 killed about 200 people and postponed Valenzuela’s debut.

Signs of the disaster are evident. The father of team president Guillermo Cosio Gaona was forced to resign as state governor because of public outrage at official handling of the disaster. About 1,500 homeless or evacuated Guadalajara residents are still sheltered next door to the University of Guadalajara Stadium, where the Charros play--and the team has promised to donate gate receipts from Valenzuela’s first game to the homeless.

Valenzuela said his pitches are as good as ever, but he said he needs to work on his rhythm.

“Tomorrow is my first game after eight months,” he said. “Probably the most important to me is that I probably have a little problem with control. I’ve never been a power pitcher, but a control pitcher, mixing pitches.

“It’s very difficult to know at this moment what’s going to happen. What I want is to get back to my game again and continue improving.”

Pitching coach Florentino Duarte expressed optimism. “He’s making the same pitches he made there (in the major leagues),” he said.