PITTSBURGH -- Alan Rangel had dreamt about a night like Friday for more than a decade.
So, he wasn't going to let a one-hour, 23-minute rain delay ruin his evening. Nor was he about to let two batters spoil his long-awaited MLB debut.
The 27-year-old right-hander settled in after a rocky beginning to his big league career to deliver some much-needed length for the Phillies in their 5-4 walk-off loss to the Pirates at PNC Park. Recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier in the day, Rangel gave the Phils three solid innings in their first bullpen game of the season.
"I'm just extremely happy here," Rangel said via a team interpreter. "I feel good with the job that I did today. It's just a dream come true."
There was a brief moment when it appeared that dream could unravel into a bit of a nightmare.
Summoned from the bullpen to start the fourth inning with a two-run lead, Rangel promptly issued a four-pitch walk to Alexander Canario before Henry Davis teed off for a two-run homer to even the score.
Pitching coach Caleb Cotham quickly emerged from the dugout for a mound visit.
After giving up a single to the next batter, Rangel induced a double-play ball and a flyout to escape further damage.
"He was a little nervous, like everybody is in their first appearance," manager Rob Thomson said. "Once Caleb went to the mound, it looked like he settled down, pitched good. ... He looked poised after that."
Rangel notched his first career strikeout as part of a scoreless fifth and pitched around a two-out double by Davis in a spotless sixth. All told, he allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out one.
But the key was getting through those three innings. The Phillies were already facing an uphill battle to navigate 27 outs when they decided earlier in the week to deploy a bullpen game on Friday, but that task became all the harder when Jesús Luzardo lasted just 2 1/3 innings on Thursday.
That's when they made the call to Rangel, who quickly called his wife with the good news. It was a whirlwind 24 hours for the duo as they quickly made their way to Pittsburgh.
"I felt nervous at first," Rangel said, "but I think that's just part of the process."
The process has been a lengthy one for Rangel. His professional journey started on July 2, 2014, when he was signed to a Minor League deal by the Braves. He spent the next couple of seasons with Atlanta's Rookie-level club in the Gulf Coast League. He got bumped up to Single-A Rome in '17, but he stalled out in Single-A for '17, '18 and '19.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the entire Minor League season in 2020.
In 2021, Rangel returned to Rome, which by then had become the Braves' High-A affiliate. He pitched well enough to earn a late-season callup to Double-A Mississippi. Rangel then spent almost the entire '22 season with Mississippi before getting called up to the Majors on Sept. 24, only to be optioned two days later to Triple-A Gwinnett -- without making his MLB debut.
He then spent most of the 2023 season with Mississippi -- aside from a few appearances with Gwinnett -- before hitting free agency following the 2023 season. Rangel signed with the Angels in November 2023, but was eventually released by the organization on July 1, 2024.
Rangel signed with the Phillies 15 days later and had been pitching at Triple-A Lehigh Valley ever since -- until Friday.
"It's wonderful, it really is," Thomson said. "It's good for the guys, too. They know how hard he's been grinding, and they remember their first time in the big leagues, so it's a happy time."
To Thomson’s point, even a star such as Trea Turner -- who made his MLB debut just one season after being selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 Draft -- knows what Rangel has gone through over the past decade.
“I’m really happy for him,” said Turner, who played a role in all four Phillies runs (two RBIs, two runs) without Bryce Harper in the lineup. “Like you said, everyone’s got a little bit of a different story, and you don’t know how it’s going to go. But just the fight in there, the battle, I thought was great.”
For Rangel, the dream was fully complete when he returned to the field following the game to soak it all in alongside his wife.
“It was a beautiful moment after the game for the both of us,” Rangel said. “It's a dream come true for both of us. When I saw her, she was just really excited -- and I was, too."