Jeimer Candelario delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly, capping a dramatic comeback win for the Angels fueled by new acquisitions and a strong offensive showing.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Angels toppled the Italian National team, 4-3, on a walk-off hit by offseason signee Jeimer Candelario. It’s the club’s fifth win since the start of spring.
25-year-old left-hander Mitch Farris got the start for the Halos on Wednesday, throwing three innings in which he allowed five hits and two runs, including one home run. It was his third appearance of spring after debuting late in the 2025 season.
Several new offseason signees made appearances out of the bullpen for the Angels, including Drew Pomeranz, Jordan Romano, and Kirby Yates. The three each went for one inning and together held Italy to one run and two hits, all credited to Pomeranz’s name. It was Pomeranz’s third game of the spring, and his struggles on the mound continued.
From the plate, seven Angels batters logged a hit against Italy, but Candelario stole the show. After coming in off the bench to play first base, Candelario smashed a home run to right field in the eighth inning and followed it up with a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to give the Halos the win. After back-to-back seasons of negative WAR, Candelario is impressing with the Angels this spring, adding valuable depth at the corner infield spots.
Outfielder and designated hitter Jorge Soler also continued his hot spring, where he headed into the game slashing .333/.500/.556 with a 1.056 OPS. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Soler launched a ball 355 feet over the left field fence at Tempe Diablo Stadium, cutting Italy’s lead down to just one run. In 82 games last season for the Halos, Soler recorded a .680 OPS – his lowest since 2017.
Star shortstop Zach Neto had another solid game, getting on base for the seventh time in seven games since the start of spring. Offseason infield acquisition, Vaughn Grissom, made his impact felt by stealing two bases after recording an RBI single.
The Angels are back in action again on Thursday, this time against a fellow American League West opponent – the Athletics. First pitch is set for 12:10 PST.