Hundreds of fans came together Sunday afternoon to watch as a six-story mural of late Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela was unveiled in Los Angeles.
Artist Robert Vargas spent three days illustrating Valenzuela without any breaks to eat or sleep, determined to give his all to honor the late legend.
“But that’s what it takes to do this mural justice and to say thank you with love to Fernando,” Vargas told KTLA.
Now, Valenzuela has been memorialized looking proudly over the neighborhood that he once called home.
The side-by-side paintings encapsulating Valenzuela’s time on the mound for the Dodgers are located on First Street near the 101 Freeway in Boyle Heights.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass unveiled the mural, commissioned by L.A. Councilmember Kevin de Léon, to cheering crowds filling the viewing areas and streets below.
The unveiling event also included speakers and community members enjoying live music and celebrations.
Vargas also took part in the event, standing before his work, which he told KTLA he hopes will “show representation for the community that [Valenzuela] represented.”
