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 nice suits to the ballpark. They take espresso shots from a machine in the dugout. After the win they play Andrea Bocelli. Pitcher Matt Festa wore a “Gabagool” T-shirt before a game this week. They make all the hand signals after running into the house and kiss each other on both cheeks.
“People have bought into the cliché,” Fasano said with a laugh over the phone 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 anyone.”
With Team Italy, the only offensive thing is the lineup. Having won all four games in pool play in preparation for Saturday’s quarterfinal showdown with Puerto Rico, Italy is hitting .294/.398/.640 with an average of eight runs per game. Pitchers had a 2.75 ERA.
Italy general manager Ned Colletti said, “I can’t tell you that we knew we were going to be 4-0, but I felt good that we had people here that cared.” “People here are going to be passionate about what they do, and their effort will be pure.”
Saturday’s starting pitcher, Sam Aldegheri of the Los Angeles Angels, is one of nine players in MLB history born in Italy — and one of only two, former Seattle Mariners infielder Alex Liddy, raised there.
Aldegheri, who also played soccer, said he was fortunate to grow up just 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 will see it and say, ‘Okay, I’m not going to try football … I’m going to try baseball because I saw it on TV and I love it,'” said Aldegheri, who grew up rooting for the Red Sox because his older brother liked the Yankees. “And maybe they’ll fall in love with the game like I did.”
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 composed almost entirely of Americans, with only one – Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies – having ever made an All-Star team.
The captain, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, is a star for the Royals, hitting 32 home runs last season and driving in three against Team Mexico on Wednesday. His Kansas City teammate, outfielder Jack Caglianone, may play for Puerto Rico, where his mother was born, but plays for the Italians because they arrived first.
However, for most players, 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 dynasty. And for young guys, it’s a great opportunity to experience the best baseball environment of their lives, because it’s like Game 5 of a playoff series every game. It’s intense every inning. For a lot of guys, it’s going to accelerate their development.”
Caglianone has played only 62 games in the majors, seven more than Miami Marlins center fielder Jacob Marcy. Shortstop and leadoff man Sam Antonacci has not played above Class AA. Canadian-born left fielder Dante Nouri hasn’t either.
Houston Astros designated hitter Zack DeZenzo said, “Everyone here has gotten to know each other in such a short time and we’ve all become so close because we all share one thing in common, being Italian-American.” “I think being an Italian-American brings a fair sense of family overall, and everyone welcomes each other with open arms.”
The Colorado Rockies’ Nola, Aldegheri and Michael Lorenzen started three of four games in pool play, pitching 14 1/3 scoreless innings. Greg Weisert, a solid reliever for the Boston Red Sox (he had a 2.82 ERA in 72 games last season), struck out Gunnar Henderson and Aaron Judge as Italy defeated Team USA, 8–6.
The baseline of talent and a lot of desire has come a long way.
“We had a list, about 100 players, and then we started putting everything together to see what we wanted and how we wanted it,” said manager Francisco Cervelli, a Venezuelan native whose father came there from Italy.
“As the deadline was getting closer, you started to realize this guy’s not going, this guy’s not going. So you start talking to the players, and the most important (question) is 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 response 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 had tears in his eyes after the wins over the United States and Mexico. His teams have appeared in five World Series, winning two, but he called this WBC win “the most incredible, remarkable day” of his career.
Colletti, 71, said he knows several people whose families have given up their Italian surnames for fear of not being able to find work in the United States. They were attracted by the promise of the New World and were eager to build its infrastructure, railroads, subways, and skyscrapers.
These were afterthoughts, Colletti said, but they proved they could be so much more. His team is also doing the same.
“We stand on the shoulders of our grandparents and our parents and people like them who took risks, who didn’t know what they were going to do except what they heard,” Colletti said. “So there’s a lot of pride in that. It’s a pride for people who have been doubted and have a chance to prove that they belong, that they’re part of something. And I think when you have that combination, you have a chance to do great things.”
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