NEW YORK -- It's pronounced loh-AYE-see-gah.

But above his locker it might as well read "Lasagna."

Yankees rookie starting pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga, in his first MLB start, threw five scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over the Rays at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.

But because Loaisiga, to some, is nearly im-pasta-ble to say, teammates and fans nicknamed him after the gooey Italian favorite not long after he signed with the Giants in 2012.

The 23-year-old doesn't mind it, he said.

"They've been calling me that for a while, especially after I signed, the guys in the minor leagues," he said, via the team's translator Marlon Abreu. "Yeah, it has grown on me."

The Nicaragua native added that he never had any nicknames as a kid.

And, yes, he does like to eat lasagna.

Cheesy monikers aside, manager Aaron Boone loved what he saw out of Loaisiga, who struck out six and walked four with three hits allowed.

"I think it confirmed what we thought and a big reason why he's here," Boone said of Loaisiga's poise. "Everyone got a look at the stuff that this kid has and the arm he has and the easy delivery he has, and I felt confident in just the little I got to see him in spring training and watching him on video and talking to people within our organization and I felt like mentally (and) emotionally, he's equipped to handle this."

Loaisiga, the team's 12th-best prospect via MLB.com, called it "a dream come true."

Boone talked about how Loaisiga worked out of a bases-loaded spot with two outs in the fourth via strikeout.

"When he had to make a pitch there in the fourth, when he got in his little bit of trouble, he buckled down and made a pitch," the manager said. "Got a huge out to get out of that inning and I think when you could see he went out in the fifth, he was definitely tired, but he figured it out.

"He worked his way through it. A few walks that didn't allow him to get deep into the night, which I think as we go forward will be a little uncharacteristic. But I thought for the first time out he competed really ell and obviously he gave us everything we needed tonight."

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.