Angels’ Samuel Aldegheri, 1st Italian born and raised pitcher to reach majors, has rough debut

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — It was fitting that Samuel Aldegheri came out to the theme song from “Rocky III” when he made his major league debut for the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night against the Seattle Mariners.

The 22-year-old left hander, who became the first Italian born and raised player to pitch in the big leagues, warmed up while Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” played in the background.

Aldegheri was hoping he would be as successful as Rocky “The Italian Stallion” Balboa. Instead, he struggled.

After allowing five unearned runs in the first, Aldegheri got through five innings. He allowed seven runs, but only two were earned. He gave up seven hits, including a two-run homer to Julio Rodriguez in the fourth, with two walks and three strikeouts.

The Angels were trailing the Mariners 7-4 after five innings.

Aldegheri is the fifth Italian-born pitcher to reach the majors and first since Marino Pieretti, who played for three teams during a six-year career that ended with Cleveland in 1950. Pieretti and three pitchers before him moved to the United States during their childhoods.

Alex Liddi was the first Italian born and raised player to reach the majors. The infielder played in 61 games for Seattle from 2011-13.

Aldegheri — who becomes the eighth Italian-born player to reach the majors — was one of the prospects the Angels got from the Philadelphia Phillies when they traded reliever Carlos Estévez on July 27.

In four starts with Double-A Rocket City after the trade, Aldegheri was 0-2 with a 5.19 ERA.

He started the season with Jersey City, Philadelphia’s High-A team, before being called up to Double-A Reading in early July. He is 6-5 with a 3.59 ERA in 19 minor-league outings this season.

Aldegheri began his professional career with Parmaclima Baseball Club in the Italian Serie A1 before being signed by the Phillies as an international free agent in 2019.

Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza, who managed Italy in the World Baseball Classic in 2023, was happy to hear about Aldegheri’s promotion and wished him “in boca al lupo.” The Italian translation is “into the wolf’s mouth” but it is an idiom used to wish theater performers or athletes good luck.

Piazza now lives in Parma, Italy, and is trying to see baseball develop in a nation where soccer continues to ignite Italians’ passions.

In a text message to The Associated Press, Piazza said baseball was brought to Italy by American servicemen during World War II and has enjoyed varying levels of popularity.

“The entire country of Italy is extremely proud and excited for the debut of Samuel. With his success we hope to start a new chapter of popularity and player development,” Piazza said.

Angels manager Ron Washington, who has done some baseball clinics in Italy, was also eager to see how Aldegheri would fare.

“He does have the stuff to be out there. Now it is a matter of how he can use it,” Washington said before the game.

After getting J.P. Crawford to fly out on the first pitch, Aldegheri allowed two of the next three Mariners to reach base. There were runners on second and third with two outs, but it looked like Aldegheri was going to get out of the inning when Jorge Polanco hit a line drive at Zach Neto. However, it went off the shortstop’s glove, leading to the first two runners scoring and unnerving the lefty.

Aldegheri then hit with Justin Turner with a curveball and Dylan Moore on a fastball to load the bases before Mitch Garver’s sharp grounder down the left-field line drove in two more. Victor Robles, the ninth batter in the inning, followed with an RBI base hit to center to make it 5-0.