Former Walsh Jesuit and Ohio State baseball standout Dominic Canzone was called up to the major leagues Friday by the Arizona Diamondbacks and made his debut Saturday.
Canzone went 0-for-3 at the plate with a walk and a run scored as the designated hitter Saturday as the Diamondbacks recorded a 3-2 win in 10 innings at home over the Pittsburgh Pirates .
Canzone walked and scored in the 10th inning when Alek Thomas hit an RBI single to make it 2-2. Three batters later, All-Star Corbin Carroll delivered a walk-off single that scored Jake McCarthy .
"It's exciting. All I want to do is help this team win," Canzone said to reporters Friday in the Diamondbacks clubhouse. "It's just one of those things where it happens so sudden, you're in shock at first and you kind of just go with it. You arrive in Arizona, and you see all the guys and you have a smile on your face."
Canzone , a 2016 Walsh Jesuit graduate, plays outfield and was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for June. He finished the month batting .430 with 34 hits in 79 at-bats, a 1.238 OPS, nine doubles, one triple, five home runs, 25 RBIs and nine walks in 21 games for the Triple-A Reno Aces.
"We just felt like there was a hot hitter in Dominic Canzone, who was killing the baseball in Reno, that we wanted to get a look at" Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Friday to Sports Illustrated writer Michael McDermott .
"It just goes to show you that if you're doing your job at a very high level, when there's a need for you here, we're going to grab you. Whatever the excuse that people use that they won't ever get called up, throw that out the window. Dom did it, and he earned every bit of that. He's going to come in here and help us win baseball games, [and] we're all excited about this opportunity."
The Diamondbacks also selected Canzone as their Minor League Player of the Month for June.
Canzone said he was told he was being promoted to the Diamondbacks on Thursday night after a game with the Aces. He said the first people he told about the promotion were his "mom and dad ... family, friends that I went to OSU with and played with at OSU and some high school buddies I am close to."
Several family members and friends attended Saturday's game at Chase Field.
"It is an amazing experience to be able to tell your parents that you're a big leaguer," Canzone said.
Canzone batted .354 in 71 games this season with the Aces. He had 91 hits in 257 at-bats, 61 runs, 16 home runs, 18 doubles, three triples and 71 RBIs. His on-base percentage was .431 and his OPS was 1.065.
Canzone started his professional career in 2019 when the Diamondbacks selected him in the eighth round with the 242nd overall pick of the MLB Draft. He signed with the team on June 22, 2019.
Canzone's minor league career has included stints with the Missoula Osprey, Hillsboro Hops, Amarillo Sod Poodles and Reno Aces. He batted .310 in 302 minor league games with 352 hits, 250 RBIs, 221 runs, 60 home runs, 11 triples, 78 doubles and 41 stolen bases.
Canzone earned third team All-America honors during his junior season at Ohio State in 2019 . He played three seasons for the Buckeyes and appeared in 172 games. He finished his OSU career with a .336 batting average, 228 hits, 139 runs, 114 RBIs, 23 home runs, 40 doubles and six triples.
"I am so thrilled for Dominic and his whole family," former Walsh Jesuit baseball coach Chris Kaczmar said. "He has worked extremely hard for so many years.
"I think the thing that resonated with me in reflecting on his call-up is marveling at his swing, even back then. I remember times when I would be throwing batting practice and I would literally have to pause because I could not believe how pretty his swing was. He had such strong hands. He had such whip in his wrists to generate such remarkable power at such a young age. You could see back then he was destined for great things."
Kaczmar said Canzone is the second former WJ player to reach the major leagues, joining Ryan Feltner , a 2015 WJ graduate who pitches for the Colorado Rockies . Kaczmar coached Feltner and Canzone.
"You watch the video clips and you can see the joy in his face," Kaczmar said of Canzone. "The whole Walsh Jesuit baseball family is sharing such a tremendous amount of joy and excitement for Dom.
"... He can hit the ball a long way and he is not one dimensional. He has a good arm and he is a very good athlete."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Arizona Diamondbacks call up Walsh Jesuit graduate Dominic Canzone
