Italian on his mother’s side, Brian Sweeney was recently hired as the pitching coach of the Kansas City Royals by Italian American manager Matt Quatraro. Sweeney was most recently the bullpen coach of the Cleveland Guardians on Italian American Terry Francona’s staff.

“I heard this in Cleveland: Combining tradition, experience and innovation really is the best route,” he told MLB.com. “I think that’s the style we’re looking for here in Kansas City.”