Samuel Aldegheri earns first MLB win over Rangers

ARLINGTON — Less than two months ago, Angels rookie Sam Aldegheri had never pitched above the High-A level in the Minor Leagues. Now he’s the first Italian-born pitcher to earn a victory in a Major League game since 1949.

Making only his second career MLB start, the lefty Aldegheri notched his first big league win with six solid innings against the Rangers in the Halos’ 5-1 win on Friday night at Globe Life Field.

“It was, for sure, something I was looking to accomplish,” Aldegheri said of winning a Major League game. “I did it, so it feels really great.”

Although the Angels’ No. 8 prospect was sometimes wild, walking three and frequently falling behind in counts, Aldegheri was also close to unhittable. He retired the first four batters he faced, totaled seven strikeouts on the night and allowed only three hits, all singles.

Even though his four-seam fastball maxed out at 94.4 mph, per Statcast, the 22-year-old southpaw had movement on his changeup, curveball and slider, and he changed speeds and location enough to fool the Rangers.

“He kept a good-swinging team off balance over there. … This kid has an idea of how to pitch, and he showed that tonight,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He set things up so when he did throw his fastball up in the zone, he got hacks at it.”

Washington said Aldegheri’s outing was similar to the one Rangers lefty Cody Bradford turned in the night before in the Angels’ 3-1 loss Thursday. Bradford, 26, also doesn’t light up the radar gun, but is blossoming into a reliable member of a Major League rotation.

“Neither one of them could break a window pane, but they know how to pitch,” Washington said of the two lefties.

The Angels’ offense boosted their starter’s chances Friday with a two-run third inning and a crucial three-run homer in the sixth by Logan O’Hoppe. That gave Aldegheri a much more comfortable margin, but Washington said he was planning to let the rookie have the sixth inning no matter what.

“I wasn’t about to change anything until he made me change it,” Washington said. “When he went out in the sixth, I certainly was going to have someone to back him up, and I didn’t need it, because he went out and had a pretty quick sixth.”

Two of the three hits Aldegheri surrendered came from the first two batters of the bottom of the sixth inning: Wyatt Langford and Josh Jung. But Aldegheri worked his way out of the two-on, no-out jam, allowing only Langford to score on an Adolis García sacrifice fly.

Born in San Martino Buon Albergo in Verona, Italy, Aldegheri is the first Italian-born pitcher to reach the Majors since Marino Pieretti debuted with the Washington Senators in 1945. (Pieretti was also the last Italian-born pitcher to earn a Major League victory, four years later.)

The Phillies signed Aldegheri to a Minor League contract in 2019, but he never pitched above High-A ball until this season. The Angels acquired him in the trade that sent closer Carlos Estévez to Philadelphia.

Over 95 1/3 innings combined across High-A and Double-A this year, Aldegheri posted a 3.59 ERA with 134 strikeouts and 41 walks.

He had some tough luck in his big league debut, on Aug. 30 against Seattle at Angel Stadium, when he gave up seven runs — but only two earned — in a loss. Friday’s outing was simpler.

“I just tried to go with the game plan, and O’Hoppe did an amazing job behind the plate,” Aldegheri said. “That’s pretty much it.”

Offensively, before O’Hoppe led the way, the Angels lost right fielder Jo Adell to left oblique irritation; he was replaced in right field by Kevin Pillar immediately after Adell struck out to end the top of the second inning.