Warwick Anthony Saupold (born 16 January 1990), nicknamed "Aussie", is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and in the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

for the

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles ( ko, 한화 이글스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon. They are a member of the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. The Eagles have won the Korean Series on ...

. Saupold has also played all eight seasons of the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it ...

(ABL) with the

Perth Heat The Perth Heat is a baseball team in the current Australian Baseball League and a foundation member of the Australian Baseball League. It is now the most successful team in ABL, winning 15 Claxton Shields. Australian Baseball League (1989–19 ...

, and represented Australia.

Career

Saupold played for the

Australian national baseball team The Australian national baseball team represents Australia in international baseball tournaments and competitions. It is ranked as the top team in Oceania, and is the Oceanian Champion, having been awarded the title in 2007 when New Zealand wi ...

in the 2008 World Junior Baseball Championship. Saupold joined the

of the

(ABL) in 2010. In the 2011–12 ABL season, Saupold led the league in innings pitched (70) and posted a 1.41

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

, setting an ABL record. Saupold also

struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denote ...

53 batters, allowing 43 hits, 22 base on balls, and two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. Saupold was invited to the 2011 Australian Baseball League All-Star Game.

Detroit Tigers

In 2012, Saupold signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. Pitching for the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. H ...

in the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League (FSL), Saupold won the deciding game in the FSL championship series. The Tigers promoted Saupold to the Erie SeaWolves of the Double-A Eastern League in 2013. Saupold pitched for Erie in 2014 and 2015. He set the SeaWolves' franchise strikeout record with 275 career strikeouts. During the 2015 season, he received a promotion to the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

of the Triple-A International League during the 2015 season.

2016 season

Saupold was called up by the Detroit Tigers on 13 May 2016. Prior to being promoted, he was 3–1 with a 2.37 ERA and 14 strikeouts in innings for the Toledo Mud Hens. He made his Major League debut for the Tigers the next day in a game against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. On 15 May, Saupold pitched innings of scoreless relief against the Orioles and earned his first Major League win. On 1 June 2016 Saupold was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right groin strain. He finished with a 7.45 ERA in .

2017 season

Saupold began the 2017 season with the Toledo Mud Hens. He was called up to the Tigers on 18 April 2017, but pitched in only two games before being returned to Toledo. He was recalled again on 22 May, following the demotion of

Aníbal Sánchez Aníbal Alejandro Sánchez Jr. (; born February 27, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Florida Marlins and has also played for the Detroit Tig ...

. Saupold logged innings for the 2017 Tigers, posting a 3–2 record with a 4.88 ERA and 44 strikeouts.

2018 season

Saupold began the 2018 season in the Tigers bullpen. He was credited with his first Major League save when he pitched innings to close out a win over the Kansas City Royals on 21 April. He was designated for assignment on 28 July 2018. After clearing waivers, Saupold was sent outright to the Toledo Mud Hens on 30 July 2018. He elected free agency on 2 November 2018.

Hanwha Eagles

On 13 November 2018, Saupold signed with the

of the

. He posted a 12–11 record with a 3.51 ERA and 135 strikeouts over 192.1 innings in 2019. He re-signed with the club for the 2020 season. In 2020, he pitched to a 10–13 record with a 4.91 ERA and 97 strikeouts over 165 innings. Saupold became a free agent following the season.

International career

Saupold was selected for the Australian national baseball team at the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike t ...

2017 World Baseball Classic Qualification The Qualifying Round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic was held from February 11 to September 25, 2016. Teams which participated at the 2013 World Baseball Classic were automatically qualified for the 2017 tournament except the four nations which ...

in 2016, and 2017 World Baseball Classic. In the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Saupold started and pitched four scoreless innings in Australia's 4-3 loss to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Personal life

On 28 August 2016, Saupold was charged with assault following an altercation outside of the Bronze Boar bar in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saupold, Warwick 1990 births Living people Australian expatriate baseball players in South Korea Australian expatriate baseball players in the United States Detroit Tigers players Erie SeaWolves players Hanwha Eagles players KBO League pitchers Lakeland Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Australia Perth Heat players Sportspeople from Perth, Western Australia Baseball people from Western Australia Toledo Mud Hens players West Michigan Whitecaps players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2017 World Baseball Classic players 2023 World Baseball Classic players