PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have called up infielder Gift Ngoepe, making him what they say is the first player from Africa to reach the major leagues.
The Pirates recalled Ngoepe (n-GOH'-pay) from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday and sent reliever Dovydos Neverauskas back to the minors.
The 27-year-old Ngoepe was born in Pietersburg, South Africa, and attended high school in the suburbs of Johannesburg. Ngoepe signed with Pittsburgh in 2008 and was batting .