Scott Sauerbeck

Scott Sauerbeck
Relief pitcher
Born: November 9, 1971 (1971-11-09) Cincinnati, Ohio
Batted: Right	Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 5, 1999 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
September 23, 2006 for the Oakland Athletics
Career statistics
Win-Loss	20-17
Earned run average	3.82
Strikeouts	389
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1999-2003) Boston Red Sox (2003) Cleveland Indians (2005-2006) Oakland Athletics (2006)

Scott William Sauerbeck (born November 9, 1971 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a retired left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher.

High school career

Sauerbeck attended Northwest High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and played baseball, basketball, and soccer graduating in 1990.

Called himself "the curveball flipping freak"

College career

After attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Sauerbeck was drafted by the New York Mets in the 23rd round of the 1994 amateur draft.

Professional career

After four seasons in the minor leagues, Sauerbeck was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1998 Rule 5 Draft. In four and a half seasons with the Pirates, he had an ERA of 3.56 and compiled a record of 19-15 with five saves in 341 games out of the bullpen.

During the 2003 season, Sauerbeck and pitcher Mike González were traded to the Boston Red Sox for Brandon Lyon and Anastacio Martinez, but the Pirates backed out of the deal after discovering an injury to Lyon. However, the Pirates and Red Sox worked out another trade that sent Sauerbeck and Jeff Suppan to Boston for infielder Freddy Sanchez. With Boston, he pitched in 26 games and made one postseason appearance.

In the offseason, he signed with the Cleveland Indians, but missed the 2004 season due to an injury. In June 2006, Cleveland released him due to poor performance on the field and being arrested for permitting someone intoxicated to drive his car. Two weeks later, he signed with the Oakland Athletics. On October 10, 2006, Oakland released him.

On February 2, 2007, he signed a minor league deal with the Houston Astros. He was released by the Astros while pitching for the Round Rock Express, their Triple-A affiliate on June 19, 2007. On February 1, 2008, Sauerbeck signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds released him on May 6, 2008. He signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox and was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, later in May. Sauerbeck's final minor league game was August 29, pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against the Durham Bulls. He announced his retirement following the game. With the Knights, Scott compiled a 1-2 record with a 4.37 ERA in 37 games.

Cleveland incident

On May 30, 2006, Scott Sauerbeck and Lily Miller were arrested by police after his 1966 Lincoln Continental convertible, driven by Miller, was observed weaving at 3:45 a.m. Police allege that Miller and Sauerbeck attempted to avoid arrest by parking the car and hiding in some bushes in a residential backyard.

Miller was charged with drunken driving. Sauerbeck pleaded not guilty to obstructing official business and permitting someone intoxicated to drive his car.[1]

On July 11, 2006, Sauerbeck pleaded guilty in Avon Lake Municipal Court to obstruction of official business and permitting someone intoxicated to drive his car. He was fined $1,750, sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to perform community service in the form of speeches to students in three local school districts about alcohol use. The 30 day jail sentence was suspended, provided Sauerbeck has no similar offenses for a year. Miller's court case is still pending. [2]

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Sauerbeck's professional career
• The Baseball Library
• Indians' Sauerbeck pleads not guilty: Sports Illustrated