frankie lasagna toronto

Toronto's Frankie Lasagna and Kyle Mulligan are now famous after missing home run ball

Frankie Lasagna from Toronto can thank New York Yankees baseball superstar Aaron Judge for making him a household name.

Judge famously made history this past week for tying Roger Maris' record for the most home runs hit in a single season in American League history. 

Judge hit his 61st home run in the Rogers Centre off Blue Jays relief pitcher Tim Mayza. 

The celebratory moment turned bleak for two baseball fans who came agonizingly close to catching the historic ball (which could've been worth millions) in the left field bleachers, just to let it bounce off their fingertips. 

The two Toronto-based men reached over the railing to try to catch the ball, which ultimately ended up bouncing into the Toronto bullpen. 

The men have now been identified as 37-year-old Frankie Lasagna, who owns Italian restaurant Terrazza near Harbord and Ossington, and electrical contractor Kyle Mulligan. 

The cameras at the historic game immediately panned to a shocked Mulligan, who threw his hat down in frustration as the reality of the situation set in. 

Mulligan appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, and revealed that catching the ball could've put his kids through college. 

"How do you feel today Kyle?" asked Kimmel. "Terrible," Mulligan responded. 

"Frankie Lasagna, the guy that everybody thinks I am bumped my glove a little and I missed it by two inches," he told Kimmel. 

Lasagna, who revealed that his name is actually Francesco Lasagna, appeared on Breakfast Television to discuss the once-in-a-lifetime missed opportunity. 

Lasagna joked that the mishap was "Judge's fault, he could've hit it a little harder." 

Late night host Stephen Colbert also discussed the situation, and called Frankie Lasagna "either the best name I've ever heard, or the worst alias in the history of the mob."

Since the fiasco, social media has naturally become enamoured with Lasagna's name. 

Others joked about the reaction Lasagna might've had if he managed to catch the ball. 

Another person said that they're more likely to forget a loved one's birthday than the name Frankie Lasagna. 

One person even suggested that a GoFundMe campaign be created in Lasagna's honour in order to cover losses for the embarrassing blow. 

Despite all the events that occurred at Wednesday night's Blue Jays game, I think we can all agree that history was made, one way or another. 

Lead photo by

Jimmy Kimmel Live


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