Lithuanian relief pitcher called up from Indianapolis
Clocks in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital city, were a few strokes shy of two o’clock Tuesday morning when the hometown boy, right-handed relief pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas, made history as the first baseball player born and raised in Lithuania to reach the major leagues.
Neverauskas, 24, was promoted to Pittsburgh from Class AAA Indianapolis when the Pirates placed super-utility player Adam Frazier on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. The move was announced shortly before the series opener against the Chicago Cubs.
The only other Lithuanian-born player to appear in a major league game was Joe Zapustas of the Philadelphia A’s in 1933. Zapustas was born in Lithuania but grew up in Boston.
Neverauskas landed midgame Monday and reported to the Pirates bullpen, wearing No. 66. He had a 2.82 ERA in 38⅓ innings for Indianapolis since last summer. He might have debuted in September if not for his involvement in a Toledo bar fight; he was suspended for the incident.
Neverauskas learned the game from his father, Virmidas, who used to make his own mitts and baseballs. During an appearance at the All-Star Futures Game in July, Neverauskas said he hoped his ascendance to the major leagues would generate interest in baseball back home, and perhaps a popularity spike could lead to more funding for more playing fields and equipment.
The Pirates signed Neverauskas for $60,000 at 16 years old. Tom Randolph, a former Pirates scout who now works at General Motors, saw Neverauskas at a showcase in Torino, Italy, and another one in Prague. Once he was signing-eliglble, Neverauskas picked the Pirates.
“I still to this day feel a little lucky to have gotten him at that number,” Randolph said.
In July, Neverauskas said he isn’t recognizable to the average Lithuanian.
“I’m not that guy yet,” he said, smiling. “I hopefully won’t be.”
Perhaps that now will change.
Injury report
Frazier’s injury marked the first time since 1991 the Pirates went this deep into the regular season before sending a player to the disabled list. Frazier tweaked the hamstring while legging out a triple April 15, according to a source, and the discomfort lingered despite continued rehab.
Frazier hit .306 with a home run and five RBIs in 15 games before the DL trip. In his absence, the Pirates likely will use Jose Osuna and John Jaso as the primary options in right field.
Watson rides on
It hasn’t been especially smooth, but closer Tony Watson entered Monday 6 for 6 on save chances this season, and 21 for 24 since taking over for Mark Melancon last season. He ranked second in the National League in saves behind Chicago Cubs closer Greg Holland, who had nine.
Watson hasn’t made it easy on himself, not recording a 1-2-3 inning yet this year, and his defense hasn’t been entirely helpful behind him. In eight innings this season, Watson has given up only one run but has a WHIP of 1.625, allowing eight hits, five walks and three hit batters.
“I had a taste last year for a couple months to kind of get your feet wet, see how it is,” Watson said last weekend. “I feel comfortable out there. Traffic on the bases late in the game, you’ve got to make your pitches. I like that. I like feeding off that.
“It’s not ideal — you’d like to have clean innings — but it is good to build confidence that you can make pitches when the game’s on the line and there’s stuff going on behind you.”