"Every time I've seen him pitch, he's always either striking them out or making them look uncomfortable some other way," (Royce Lewis via the Star Tribune, 2024).

David Festa (born March 8, 2000 in Verona, NJ) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. As per FamilySearch.org, the surname Festa hails from Italy.

Festa attended Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, New Jersey and played college baseball at Seton Hall University. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 13th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his professional debut in 2021 with the FCL Twins and Fort Myers Miracle, pitching twice at each level for a total of 8 1/3 innings. In 2022, he got off to a strong start with Fort Myers in the Florida State League, going 2-1, 1.50 in his first five starts, to earn a quick promotion to the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League (see 1:10). He continued to pitch well there, going 7-3, 2.71 in 16 games. In 2023, he started the year in AA with the Wichita Wind Surge of the Texas League, earning a spot on the American League team for the 2023 Futures Game. He then finished the season in AAA with the St. Paul Saints. His combined line was 4-4, 4.19 in 24 games, with 119 strikeouts in 92 1/3 innings.

In 2024, The 6-6, 185-pound Festa had posted a 3-2 record and a 3.77 ERA through 14 starts with 87 strikeouts and 24 walks in 59⅔ innings - one of the highest strikeout rates in the minor leagues. . After after Twins starter Chris Paddack was placed on the 15-day injured list, David was called up and added to the 40-man roster. He made his major league debut on 6/27/24 vs the Arizona Diamondbacks and earned a win.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)