Edmundas Matusevičius

Edmundas Matusevičius

Edmundas Matusevičius seen in the center

• Height 6' 1/2", Weight 205 lbs.
• Born April 10, 1958 in the USSR

Biographical information

Edmundas Matusevičius is a Lithuanian who pitched for the Soviet National Baseball team in the 1980s. Trained as a javelin thrower, he was recognized as one of the best javelin throwers in the USSR. (His throw of 83.72m in Kiev is ranked 210th best in the world for Men's Javelin throw.) He was recruited by the Soviet authorities because of his "arm strength and superior athletic ability" and they introduced him to the art of pitching, intending him to be part of the national team. The Soviets' plan was to win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, but the country fell apart before that date.

Matusevičius is also famous in Lithuania for the stand he took against the Soviet crackdown in the late 1980's; in the final days of the USSR, he refused to wear his team's CCCP cap, opting instead to wear the only other cap he owned, an Oakland A's ballcap.

He notably appeared in a baseball game in 1989, when the Soviet National team played the Midshipman of the US Naval Academy during a tour of the country. He was brought in as a relief pitcher during the first inning. He was advised to "settle down, and just throw strikes" by the assistant coach (according to this New York Times article) [1] Unfortunately, but perhaps not unexpectedly, the Midshipman beat the Soviets 21-1.

He now (2004 onwards) frequently coaches Lithuanian youth baseball teams in international tournaments and now works for the Lithuanian Ministry of Sport. He is the Secretary General of the Lithuanian Baseball Association (LBA).

Baseball Runs in the Family

He has 3 sons. His son second son Edvardas Matusevičius has played for Lithuania at the 2008 World University Baseball Championship and 2008 European Championship Qualifiers, also as a pitcher. Edvardas made his debut at the European Men‘s Baseball Qualification Tournament in Carlovac, Croatia, in 2008. He was a pitcher for the first match with Croatia. Edvardas was trained at the MLB European Academy in Italy in 2008. [[2]][[3]] Mr. Matusevicius' youngest son Edis is also a pitcher. In 2008, it was his second year playing for the Lithuanian Juveniles Team as a pitcher.

Matusevičius coached for Lithuania in the 2011 European Championship Qualifier in Tel Aviv.

sources: *Lithuanian Baseball Federation

• New York Times article
• Lithuanian Baseball Federation
• http://cnc.fibs.it/cnc/baseball/2004/nettuno/rc.asp?d=cad_Lituania
• http://jeffchap.wordpress.com/
• His Javelin throwing stats
• CEB article about baseball in Lithuania

see also: User:Oaktree_b for the email sent by Mr. Matusevicius giving details about his sons' involvement with the sport