Team USA joins Israel, Japan, Korea, and Mexico in the six-team field
Team USA clinched its berth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games following a 4-2 victory over Venezuela at the 2021 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Baseball Americas Qualification Event for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020 in Florida. The six-team Olympic baseball tournament will begin Tuesday, July 27, at Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium and Yokohama Baseball Stadium.
The U.S. joins Israel, Japan, Korea, and Mexico in the six-team field. The final spot in the Olympic baseball tournament was to be decided following the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier in Puebla, Mexico, last month.
“It has been our goal from the moment baseball returned to the Olympic Programme to qualify for Tokyo 2020. I am incredibly proud of this group for coming together under the tremendous leadership of Mike Scioscia and his staff and securing the United States’ spot in the Olympic Games,” USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler said. “We knew this was not going to be an easy road; however, this squad personified the unyielding American spirit with grit and resilience in this tournament. We are thrilled for them, we celebrate their achievement, and we look forward to representing Team USA in the Olympic Games.”
Team USA finished the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier tournament with a perfect 4-0 record, defeating Canada, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The U.S. also faced Puerto Rico in the Opening Round, but the game was canceled in the fourth inning due to inclement weather with the stars and stripes holding a 6-1 lead.
Team USA has qualified for all but one of the Olympic Games since baseball has been included on the official Olympic Programme beginning in 1992. The U.S. won a bronze medal in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games and a gold medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The stars and stripes did not qualify for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games but earned a spot in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, where they won bronze.
Team USA also won a silver medal in 1984 (Los Angeles) and a gold medal in 1988 (Seoul) when baseball was a demonstration sport in the Olympics.
USA Baseball is the national governing body for baseball in the United States and is committed to serving, protecting, and supporting the game of baseball and its 15.6 million participants. For more information on the organization, its national teams, and development-driven initiatives, visit the official website http://USABaseball.com or http://USABDevelops.com.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
