Pirates Call Up Dovydas Neverauskas, MLB's First Lithuanian Born Player
Ryan Mayer
The Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled out of the gates this season with an 8-11 record and are currently sitting at the bottom of the NL Central. Part of the problem has been a bullpen that has struggled to start the year ranking 19th in ERA (4.24), 26th in batting average against (.270) and 22nd in WHIP (1.41). In order to try and address this concern, the team called up right-handed pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.
Neverauskas immediately saw action in the latter stages of the team's 14-3 loss to the Cubs on Monday night, throwing two innings giving up two hits and one earned run while fanning one batter. In the process, Neverauskas became the first player in MLB history to be born and raised in Lithuania.
According to a profile done on Neverauskas by Adam Berry for MLB.com, Neverauskas, who was born in Vilnius Lithuania, learned to play baseball on soccer fields. He's been in the Pirates system since 2010, and has bounced between being a starter and reliever throughout multiple levels. This year in Triple-A, Neverauskas appeared in five games, pitching 8.1 innings without allowing an earned run.
The Pirates and Neverauskas get another shot at the Cubs tonight as the teams battle at PNC Park starting at 7:05 p.m.
