HOUSTON – Sal Fasano is a first-generation Italian-American, the son of immigrants from Calabria, the toe of the boot in southern Italy. He grew up proud of his heritage, big on values like respect and family, and loved all the movies you’d imagine — “Rocky,” “Goodfellas” and so on.
A backup catcher for 11 major-league seasons, Fasano is now the bullpen coach for Team Italy, a band of Balboas punching above their weight in the World Baseball Classic.
They wear fine suits to the ballpark. They chug espresso shots from a machine in the dugout. They play Andrea Bocelli after victories. Pitcher Matt Festa wore a “Gabagool” T-shirt before a game this week. They do all the hand gestures and kiss each other on both cheeks after home runs.
“The guys have embraced the cliche,” Fasano said, laughing by phone on Friday. “They’ve really run with it, and it’s all over social media. It’s been fun to watch, and it doesn’t really offend anybody.”
With Team Italy, the only offensive thing is the lineup. In winning all four games in pool play, setting up a quarterfinal matchup with Puerto Rico on Saturday, Italy is hitting .294/.398/.640 while averaging eight runs per game. The pitchers had a 2.75 ERA.
“I can’t tell you we knew we were going to be 4-0, but I felt good that we have people here who care,” said Ned Colletti, the Italy general manager. “People here were going to be passionate about what they did, and their effort would be pure.”
The starting pitcher on Saturday, Sam Aldegheri of the Los Angeles Angels, is one of nine players in MLB history born in Italy — and one of just two, with former Seattle Mariners infielder Alex Liddi, to be raised there.
Aldegheri, who also played soccer, said he was lucky to grow up just a few minutes from a baseball field in Verona. He hopes the WBC will help build momentum for a more sophisticated baseball complex in his country.
“Hopefully kids are going to look at it and be like, ‘OK, I’m not going to try soccer … I’m going to try baseball because I saw it on TV and I like it,’” said Aldegheri, who grew up rooting for the Red Sox because his older brother liked the Yankees. “And maybe they’re going to fall in (love) with the game like I did.”
Sam Aldegheri struck out eight over 4 2/3 scoreless innings during Italy’s 8-0 win over Brazil in pool play. (Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)
The team includes two other Italian natives, relievers Gabriele Quattrini and Claudio Scotti, who have played professionally in Italy’s Serie A (Scotti also played briefly in the minors for the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets). Otherwise, it is made up almost entirely of Americans, with only one — the Philadelphia Phillies’ Aaron Nola — who has ever made an All-Star team.
The captain, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, is a star for the Royals, with 32 home runs last season and three against Team Mexico on Wednesday. His Kansas City teammate, outfielder Jac Caglianone, could have played for Puerto Rico, where his mother was born, but plays for the Italians because they reached out first.
For most players, though, this was their only chance to compete on the WBC stage.
“I’m sure everyone would be thrilled to play for Team USA, but that team is loaded, anyway,” Fasano said. “The second-best thing is playing for your lineage. And for the younger guys, it’s a great opportunity to experience the best baseball atmosphere of their life, because this is like Game 5 of a playoff series every game. It’s intense every inning. For a lot of guys, it’s going to speed up their development.”
Caglianone has played only 62 games in the majors, seven more than center fielder Jakob Marsee of the Miami Marlins. Sam Antonacci, the shortstop and leadoff man, has not played above Class AA. Neither has Dante Nori, the Canadian-born left fielder.
“Everybody here has gotten to know one another in such a short period of time and we’ve all bonded so close because we do all share that one common thing, being Italian-Americans,” said designated hitter Zach Dezenzo of the Houston Astros. “I think that there’s an overall just sense of family that comes from being an Italian-American, and everybody welcomes each other with open arms.”
Nola, Aldegheri and Michael Lorenzen of the Colorado Rockies started three of the four games in pool play, firing 14 1/3 scoreless innings. Greg Weissert, a solid reliever for the Boston Red Sox (he had a 2.82 ERA in 72 games last season), saved Italy’s 8-6 upset of Team USA by striking out Gunnar Henderson and Aaron Judge.
A baseline of talent and a lot of desire have gone a long way.
“We had a list, about 100 players, and then we started to put everything together of what we wanted and how we wanted it,” said manager Francisco Cervelli, a Venezuelan native whose father emigrated there from Italy.
“As it was getting closer to the deadline, you start knowing that this guy’s not going, this guy’s not going. So you start talking to players, and the most important (question was) do you really want to be here? You want to do it for the right reasons. You want to represent the country of your ancestors. And the feedback was positive and then that’s what we got. This group of guys, they really want to be here.”
Colletti, who spent 40 years in executive roles with the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, said he teared up after the victories over the U.S. and Mexico. His teams have been to five World Series, winning two, but he called this WBC “the most incredible, remarkable days” of his career.
Colletti, 71, said he knows plenty of people whose families dropped their Italian last names for fear of being unable to find work in the United States. They were lured by the promise of the new world and willing to build its infrastructure, the railroads and subways and skyscrapers.
They were afterthoughts, Colletti said, but proved they could be much more. His team is doing likewise.
“We stand on the shoulders of our grandparents and our parents and people like that who took a chance, who didn’t know what they were coming to except from what they had heard,” Colletti said. “So there’s great pride in that. There’s pride for anybody who’s been doubted and has a chance to prove that they do belong, that they are part of something. And I think when you have that combination, you have a chance to do great things.”
