Leigh Neuage

Leigh Sebastian Kenneth Neuage

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 210 lb.

• Born July 6, 1983 in Adelaide, South Australia Australia
• Died August 16, 2003 in Sydney, New South Wales Australia

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Leigh Neuage played in the Los Angeles Dodgers system from 2001 to 2003. He began his professional career at 17 years old.

He was excellent in the International Baseball League of Australia in 2000-2001, going 1-0 with a save and a 0.55 ERA in 5 games. He struck out 14 and walked only 3 in 16 1/3 IP while allowing a .193 average. In 2001, he had a 1.59 ERA in 5 2/3 innings for the GCL Dodgers. He pitched for the Australian national team in the 2001 Baseball World Cup, allowing 3 hits, two walks, a hit batsmen and three runs in two innings while fanning three. Australia's youngest player (almost six months younger than Ryan Rowland-Smith, the next-youngest), he tied Matty Wilkinson for the team's highest ERA.

With South Australia in the 2002 Claxton Shield, he made one appearance and struggling, relieving Calvin Chipperfield and throwing three wild pitches, allowing two hits, two walks and three unearned runs in one inning; Chipperfield had already thrown three wild pitches that inning.

He followed that with a 1-4, 3.68 line in 66 frames for the GCL Dodgers (7 G) and the South Georgia Waves (8 G) in 2002. He allowed 6 hits, 10 walks and 8 runs in 4 1/3 IP for South Australia in the 2003 Claxton Shield, though he did fan six. With South Georgia in 2003, he was 1-5 with a 6.69 ERA in nine starts.

Overall, he was 2-9 with a 4.56 ERA in 27 games (25 starts) in the US and 1-1 with a save and a 3.74 ERA in eight games in Australia.

He passed away at the age of 20 after jumping 15 stories to his death from a Sydney hotel over his girlfriend leaving him.

Sources include Flintoff & Dunn Australian Baseball Almanac, Defunct IBAF website

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