Fernando Valenzuela will be honored by the Los Angeles Dodgers with a patch of his No. 34 on team uniforms during the World Series and the 2025 season.

The circular patch will be on jersey sleeves with the late pitcher’s No. 34 in Dodger blue with a white outline, surrounded by a black background and a blue outline. “FERNANDO” is in white capital letters above the number.

Valenzuela, the 1981 NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award winner, died at age 63 on Tuesday, one day shy of the 43rd anniversary of his 147-pitch complete game that led the Dodgers over the Yankees in World Series Game 3. After losing the first two games at Yankee Stadium, the Dodgers won four in a row for their first title since 1965.

A six-time All-Star, Valenzuela was 173-153 in 17 seasons, including 141-116 with the Dodgers from 1980-90. His flamboyant presence triggered “Fernandomania” among fans, and he worked for the team as a broadcaster from 2003 through 2024.

WNBA

New York Liberty basketball team honored with ticker-tape parade >> Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and their New York teammates were showered with confetti as the Liberty celebrated winning the WNBA title in the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined the thousands who lined the streets on Thursday.

The Liberty won the franchise’s first championship, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in overtime in a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

NFL

Cowboys kicker gets jury duty but is expected to play at Niners >> The Dallas Cowboys expect Brandon Aubrey to be available in San Francisco after missing the first two practices of the week when the kicker was selected for jury duty.

Coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday that Aubrey was getting his work in later in the day after court was out of session in preparation for Sunday night’s visit to the 49ers.

The Cowboys don’t expect any issues with Aubrey being on the team’s charter flight, and McCarthy said the return trip would be designed to make sure Aubrey is back in time if his case lingers into next week.

Lions wide receiver Williams won’t fight 2-game suspension >> Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams announced he will accept a two-game suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy.

Williams had said he had “no choice but to take it on the chin” to a Monday report on the suspension. He issued a statement Thursday through his agent confirming he was notified of the suspension earlier this week.

“The news came as a complete surprise that I am still trying to understand,” Williams said.

That means Williams will miss Sunday’s game for the Lions (5-1) hosting Tennessee (1-5) on Sunday and a Nov. 3 road trip to NFC North rival Green Bay.

Motor sports

NHRA legend Force will attend a race four months after injury >> NHRA legend John Force, who suffered a traumatic brain injury during a harrowing crash at Virginia Motorsports Park in June, has been cleared to attend a race.

The 16-time Funny Car champion announced Thursday that he will travel with his wife, Laurie, to the Nevada Nationals next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Force will be on hand to see his two-car Funny Car team compete with drivers Austin Prock and Jack Beckman. Daughter Brittany Force also is racing in the Top Fuel class.

Olympics

Kiraly is moving to coach US men >> Volleyball great Karch Kiraly, who won the first of his three Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. indoor team in Los Angeles in 1984, will coach the American men at the Summer Games when they return to LA in 2028.

Kiraly will switch from the women’s program he led to medals in each of the last three Olympics to take over for John Speraw, who coached the men to the bronze medal in Paris before becoming USA Volleyball’s president and CEO this month. Speraw called Kiraly, who won two gold medals in indoor volleyball and one on the beach as an athlete, “Team USA’s greatest winner.”