CHRIS ALGOZZINO
NORTH ROCKLAND CLASS OF 1993
Chris Algozzino came up through the Haverstraw youth baseball system and followed in the footsteps of his older brother Joe, who also starred on the baseball diamond at North Rockland High School and Rockland Community College. Chris was a key member of the first two of three straight New York State championship teams piloted by Red Raider coach John Sottile.
Chris, a lefty ace, never lost while on the mound for North Rockland: 24 decisions, 24 victories. It all started his freshman year, when then-head coach John DiGirolamo called him up at the end of the season to play center field. However, he was pressed into duty as a relief pitcher in a Sectional playoff game against New Rochelle, tapped by DiGirolamo to make his varsity pitching debut under stressful circumstances. With the bases loaded, two outs and six runs already plated in the fourth inning, Chris came in, threw one pitch and got the No. 3 hitter in the order to pop out to the third baseman – his brother Joe, a senior on that year’s team. Chris pitched 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief and was the winning hurler in North Rockland’s 13-7 win. That appearance set the tone for what would become one of the finest pitching careers of any Rockland ballplayer.
As a junior in 1992, Chris pitched a complete-game victory in the State championship game, an 11-3 drubbing of Lockport. It was the first State baseball title by a Rockland County team and the first State team championship in any sport for North Rockland High School.
As a senior, Chris went 8-0 with a microscopic 0.98 ERA. He struck out 61 in 58 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .190 batting average. In the State semifinals, he outdueled West Babylon’s Billy Koch, a fourth-round major league draft pick who later starred as a closer for Toronto and Oakland. Chris worked through 5 2/3 gritty innings before turning the ball over to Steve Castrello, who saved the 5-3 victory, the 24th and final win of Chris’ high school career. The Raiders culminated their season with an 11-6 triumph over Utica Senior Academy for their second consecutive State championship.
Chris was by no means a one-dimensional player. When not on the mound, he patrolled center field flawlessly and hit .353 in ‘93 with a team-leading 30 hits.
State Player of the Year
For his outstanding mound performance, Chris was named the 1993 NYSPHSAA Baseball Player of the Year and was also recognized by USA Today as New York State High School Baseball Player of the Year. He was the first North Rockland baseball player to earn those accolades. Over his career, he was selected first team All-Rockland County three times and first team All-Section 1 twice. He also was tabbed as the WRKL-Bank of New York Athlete of the Season his senior year.
Chris was just one of multiple standout players on those North Rockland teams. Darren Luzon, Mike Sidoti and Keith Finnerty were among the top players in Chris’s junior year, while Pat Carey, Mike Stone, Joe Brady and Mike Rooney were leading players his senior year. Carey and Stone played on all three Red Raider state title teams, 1992 to 1994.
College, Summer League Success
Moving on to Rockland Community College under Coach Dan Keeley, Chris posted a 6-0 pitching record in the 1994 season to help pace the Hawks to Mid-Hudson Conference and Region XV championships. Tendinitis in his left elbow sidelined him in 1995 but he bounced back in 1996 to help the Hawks capture the conference championship.
He finished his RCC career with an 8-3 record and also contributed to the team’s success as a first baseman,
outfielder and designated hitter.
Outside the school and college seasons, Chris played in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) for the
Generals, and made key contributions for the Rockland OTB Pirates’ two New York State American Legion
championship teams. He was also a member of the 1989 Haverstraw Senior Little League team (ages 14-15) that was crowned national champion, losing only to World Series champion Taiwan and Canada.
These days Chris, a 50-year-old West Haverstraw resident, works as a supervisor at the Sloatsburg production facility of Warby Parker, the eyeglass company.
Chris adds the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame recognition to previous inductions into the North Rockland High School (2004) and Rockland Community College (2016) sports halls of fame.
