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Team USA Baseball Olympics Group Stage Recap

Date: August 1, 2021

By: Michael Stamm

Two USA baseball players celebrate at home plate during an Olympics game.

WBSC

USA Olympic Baseball is officially back and proving that this team can still compete even without MLB players. If you didn’t read my preview article (first go check that out), Olympic baseball has returned for the first time in 13 years. The team is composed of a bunch of different former and future MLB stars. USA started out perfect with a 2-0 record in pool play. With quarterfinals beginning on Aug. 2, here’s everything you missed from the team’s first two games.

The United States defeated Israel, 8 – 1.

The final score of this game is very misleading. The game was much more competitive than shown. Tyler Austin, a former New York Yankees first baseman, hit a three-run blast that made the lead 3-0 in the bottom of the third. Israel added a run of their own when Danny Valencia, who last played on the Orioles in 2019, hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth. The score remained 3-1 until the sixth inning.

Once Israel had to move to their bullpen, everything started moving downhill, as Israel was just overmatched. Bubba Starling drove in Todd Frazier in the top of the sixth and pushed the game out of reach. USA would drive in four more runs in the next three innings and gave USA their first win of this Olympic summer.

USA’s starting pitcher, Joe Ryan, pitched six innings, striking out five. Austin finished with three hits and three RBIs, and Buddy Starling and Eddy Alverez both also drove in two runs each. 

The United States won 4-2 against South Korea.

The second game of group play was more of a pitcher duel than the first. Former Texas Rangers draft pick, Nick Martinez, started on the mound for USA and allowed two straight hits to start the game. With a man on first and third, Kim Hyun-Soo grounded into a fielder’s choice allowing Lee Jung-hoo to score, giving South Korea an early 1-0 lead. Martinez would find his way out of trouble and then soon found his groove, striking out nine in five innings.

The USA wouldn’t tie the game until the bottom of the fourth when Red Sox prospect, Triston Casas, hit a go-ahead two-run home run. Sidearm pitcher and South Korean starter, Ko Young-pyo, would give up another home run to shortstop, Nick Allen. Austin would bring in two more runs later in the inning to certify a 4-1 lead. A late attempt by South Korea in the ninth inning brought in one more run, but it was not enough to make a comeback. USA would take their second of two games with quarterfinals looming. 

America now moves on to the quarterfinals, where they will continue their quest for the gold. They face Japan on Monday at 6 a.m. (EST). The winner of Japan and the United States will meet in the semifinals against either Israel or Korea. Japan has the best odds to win the gold medal in Tokyo and heads into this game undefeated against the Dominican Republic and Mexico. This game is sure to be a good one, and I got you covered with the rest of Team USA’s journey to the podium. 

Michael Stamm can be reached at michael.stamm@student.shu.edu.

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