Samuel Aldegheri, first historic MLB win.
Mlb, results
On the night of Sept. 6-7, Jannik Sinner wasn't the only Italian to bring good news from the United States. Determined, confidentè and as ruthless as that Joker portrayed on his armband under his hat, Italian pitcher Samuel Aldegheri earned his first career victory in Major League Baseball. He did so with authority and maturity, overcoming the defending champions Texas Rangers thanks to 6 runs thrown, only one run scored, 3 base balls and 7 strikeouts on 90 pitches thrown. The Los Angeles Angels won 5-1, scoring two runs in the third and three in the sixth inning thanks to a decisive home run by Logan O'Hoppe.
The Verona-based pitcher broke the ice after the loss in the opener against Seattle and from the outset showed that the story at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, would be different. Aldegheri struck out 3 of the first 4 batters he faced at the plate, showcasing his knockout pitches, in great relief throughout the evening. In the second inning a base conceded to Lowe and a single by Duran brought runners to the corners with one out, but the Italian starter induced a weak fly out by the rookie Fabian and a bounce to the diamond on Carson Kelly for the third out.
After escaping danger, the Angels’ offense responded with two runs, a base-on-ball, double-play hit by Neto and a single by Schanuel giving the first two runs of support to "Sam", who was good at limiting the base-on-ball damage in his third inning with his second strikeout against Jung and striking out eight of the 10 batters faced between the third and fifth innings. Two more strikeouts at the plate, again with a steady, well-placed forehand, typified a fourth inning in control for Aldegheri, who then finished his second round of the Texas lineup on a high note with three consecutive outs in the fifth inning.
After a three-run homer by Logan O'Hoppe that finally shifted the match's inertia in favor of the Halos, Aldegheri s return to the field, still with energy and pitching to expend, proved tricky given the singles batted in by Langford and Jung in the opener. The 22-year-old keeps his cool, however, and, on the strength of the good margin, gets three consecutive outs: the first è the sacrifice fly by Adolis Garcia who brings home the Rangers’ first and only point, the other two come on lines that left fielder Taylor Ward has no trouble controlling.
For the 22-year-old, the test ends with 90 pitches, including 59 strikes. He threw 52 out of 90 fastballs, maintaining an average velocity of 91 miles per hour with a 94.4 peak during the second inning. He induced 14 unearned runs and allowed only two hits (both caught by outfielders) with exit velocity above 100 miles per hour. On a statistical level, this is a so-called "quality start" which is achieved when you throw at least 6 shots, conceding a maximum of 3 runs.
Victory for the history books was only 9 kills away from being achieved by the Angels’ bullpen. The task is accomplished brilliantly, with 5 strikeouts on 9 outs, by the trio of Hunter Strickland, Brock Burke and Jose Quijada. The Los Angeles Angels won their 59th game of the season and the first in which Samuel Aldegheri appeared as a winner, with the hope that it will be the first in a long series.
Aldegheri thus writes an indelible page of history because he becomes the first pitcher born and raised athletically in Italy to win a game in MLB, in the world's top professional baseball league.
"It's a great thrill this win, I went out there to compete tonight and the offense gave me great support" said Aldegheri to the microphones of broadcaster Bally Sports West. "The difficulty" of the debut è gone, the important thing was today, was to compete, contribute to the boys" win and have fun". Aldegheri concluded with a dedication toward the people who followed him during the Italian night: "For family and all friends è a wonderful feeling to know that I have support from them too".
Aldegheri’s potential next turn could be next week against either the Minnesota Twins Wednesday, Sept. 11 in the case of 4 days rest or against the Houston Astros in the series starting Friday, Sept. 13.
