Dovydas Neverauskas

Dovydas Neverauskas (born January 14, 1993) is a Lithuanian professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Dovydas Neverauskas
Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 66
Pitcher
Born: (1993-01-14) January 14, 1993
Vilnius, Lithuania
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 24, 2017, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
(through July 5, 2019)
Win–loss record1–1
Earned run average6.71
Strikeouts54
Teams

He is the first player in MLB history to be born and raised in Lithuania.[1]

Career

Amateur

Neverauskas's father, who coaches youth baseball and national teams and promotes the sport in Lithuania, encouraged him to play baseball, despite it not being well known in the country. Neverauskas said there were no baseball fields in the country.[2] He attended training camps in Italy to better learn the game.[1] He attended his first MLB game in 2006 on a trip with his father. He attended MLB's European Baseball Academy in 2008 and 2009.[2]

Professional

Neverauskas signed with the Pirates as a free agent in 2009.[3] He was converted into a relief pitcher in 2015.[4] He began the 2016 season with the Altoona Curve of the Class AA Eastern League,[3] and was promoted to the Indianapolis Indians of the Class AAA International League in June.[5] He pitched a scoreless inning in the 2016 All-Star Futures Game.[6][7] The Pirates added him to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season.[8]

On April 24, 2017, Neverauskas made his Major League Baseball debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Chicago Cubs. He pitched two innings, allowed one run, and had one strikeout.[9] Neverauskas picked up his first Major League win on August 6, 2017, when the Pirates defeated the San Diego Padres in 11 innings. He pitched two scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out three to pick up the win.[10] He finished the season for the Pirates pitching in ​25 1⁄3 innings with a 3.91 ERA. The following season, he pitched the majority of the season at the AAA level, registering an ERA of 8 for the Pirates in 25 games.

References
  1. MLB Cut4
  2. MLB
  3. "Lithuanian pitcher hopes to make history". Altoona Mirror. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  4. "South Atlantic League notebook: San Francisco Giants' Samuel Coonrod starts to see results with the Augusta GreenJackets – MiLB.com News – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  5. "Pirates prospect Dovydas Neverauskas proud to represent Lithuania, Mariners prospect Tyler O'Neill, Marlins prospect Josh Naylor represent Canada at Futures Game – MiLB.com News – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  6. "Dansby Swanson, Yoan Moncada headline 2016 Futures Game rosters". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  7. Berg, Ted (July 15, 2016). "Meet the Pirates prospect who will soon become MLB's first Lithuanian". USA Today. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  8. "Pirates add Neverauskas, Osuna to 40-man roster". Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  9. "Lithuanian reliever Neverauskas makes debut for Pirates". AP News. April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  10. Berry, Adam; Toye, Jonathan (August 6, 2017). "S-Rod celebrates return with walk-off vs. Padres". Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
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