By Rich Chrampanis
RED BANK – In the summer of 2018, Middletown Little Leaguer Alfred Delia became a household name thanks to five seconds of video on the internet. He was playing for his hometown in the regional portion of the Little League World Series and ESPN filmed the players doing their own intros. Delia became a media sensation when he said, “Hi, my name is Alfred Delia. Back home they call me Big Al and I hit dingers.”
Fast-forward six years and the player known across the planet as Big Al is a senior on the Red Bank Catholic baseball team. He’s nowhere near the biggest player on the roster but he lived up to his reputation on Opening Day when he indeed hit a dinger. His solo home run to left in the second inning was part of the Caseys’ 7-2 win over Rumson-Fair Haven.
“They don’t even call me that anymore. I’m not that big,” Delia said, talking about his infamous nickname. “I got in the box, I was sitting on one pitch and I got that pitch and I didn’t miss it.”
Delia’s popularity six years ago included live interviews on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” along with a trip to Yankee Stadium where Giancarlo Stanton wore a “Big Al Hits Dingers” T-shirt.
Every now and then people still remember his famous internet moment.
“If they notice me, I just try to be humble about it and say, ‘What’s up,’ ” Delia said. “The fame was pretty cool.”
But on a team filled with Division I talent, Delia was low-profile in his high school baseball career until he hit that memorable dinger.
Now the fame is in the midst of a second chapter. Those who loved Big Al the Little Leaguer seem to be enjoying his first homer in high school, as video of the hit had over a million views on social media in less than 24 hours.
Delia is committed to playing college baseball at Felician University in Rutherford. Before that, he’s looking to make an impact for the Caseys in their quest for a fifth straight Shore Conference championship.
“That was a big spot there, getting us going,” said RBC baseball coach Buddy Hausmann of Delia’s home run. “He was super excited running around those bases. The legend continues and hopefully he can hit some more as the season goes on.”
The article originally appeared in the April 4 – 10, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
