Dovydas Neverauskas

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

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

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. He attended training camps in Italy to better learn the game. 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.

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

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. 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. He finished the season for the Pirates pitching in  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

External links

Category:1993 births
Category:Living people
Category:All-Star Futures Game players
Category:Altoona Curve players
Category:Bradenton Marauders players
Category:Expatriate baseball players in the United States
Category:Gulf Coast Pirates players
Category:Indianapolis Indians players
Category:Jamestown Jammers players
Category:Lithuanian baseball players
Category:Lithuanian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Category:Major League Baseball pitchers
Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players
Category:Sportspeople from Vilnius
Category:State College Spikes players
Category:West Virginia Black Bears players
Category:West Virginia Power players