Left-hander Sam Aldegheri will become the first pitcher born and raised in Italy to play in Major League Baseball when he starts for the Los Angeles Angels against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night, sources told ESPN.

Aldegheri, 22, was signed out of Verona, Italy, by the Philadelphia Phillies for $210,000 in July 2019. While his fastball sits in the low-90s, he managed a breakout season this year by striking out 109 in 78 innings across Class A and Double A with Philadelphia. The Phillies then traded Aldegheri and hard-throwing right-hander George Klassen to Los Angeles for reliever Carlos Estevez last month.