As rough as the start of the 2024 season has been for mound artists, amid all the pitcher injuries happening in the early going it’s time for yet another special recognition to the amazing 14-strikeout performance by Tyler Glasnow on April 9. The punchouts were the most in a game with under 90 pitches since pitches were first recorded in 1988. Go figure in this month when so many pitchers are falling to, in some instances, significant injuries, one of the pitchers with a very checkered injury history is the picture of health and dominance.

And that still might not be the greatest pitching performance in Dodger history on that calendar day. That distinction has to go to Fernando Valenzuela, who, on that same date in 1981, threw a 2-0, five-hit shutout of the Astros after being tabbed to pitch the previous day due to Jerry Reuss getting injured doing wind sprints. His Major League starting debut was the beginning of the phenomenon known as Fernandomania. Today, Valenzuela’s No. 34 is retired by the organization.

Surely, those early adopters of rotisserie baseball were likely clamoring to the waiver wire to pick up Valenzuela after that out-of-the-blue performance. They reaped the rewards that season — the second ever on record for those fantasy pioneers. El Toro was as deep a sleeper as it got. Let’s get into some fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups who are deep, but maybe not as unknown.