USA Baseball failed against Japan in the Tokyo 2020 gold medal game and was defeated 2-0 on point plays in the third and eighth.
Japan beat USA Baseball 2-0 in the gold medal match at Tokyo 2020. The host team won the gold medal undefeated by winning all five games they played in the Olympic tournament.
It is the first time that USA Baseball has obtained the silver metal, since in Sydney 2000 they won gold and in Atlanta 1996 and in Beijing 2008 they won bronze. In a pitchers’ duel, two specific plays defined the game.
A homerun by Munetaka Murakami in the third and a Jack Lopez error in the eighth allowed Japan to score. Masato Morishita claimed victory and defeat went to Nick Martinez.
Murakami opened the scoring for the Japanese when he sent the ball out of the Yokohama Baseball Stadium with a solo home run during the third inning. In the Olympic tournament, Murakami hit .333 when he visited the batter’s box.
Lopez’s error came as he threw the ball home off a Masataka Yoshida single that allowed Tetsuto Yamada to score in the bottom of the eighth inning.
America’s hopes of turning around were ended when they eliminated Nick Allen at second base after a hit from Lopez.
Murakami opened the scoring for the Japanese when he sent the ball out of the Yokohama Baseball Stadium with a solo home run during the third inning.
In the Olympic tournament, Murakami hit .333 when he visited the batter’s box. Lopez’s error came as he threw the ball home off a Masataka Yoshida single that allowed Tetsuto Yamada to score in the bottom of the eighth inning.
America’s hopes of turning around were ended when they eliminated Nick Allen at second base after a hit from Lopez.
Dominican Republic completed the podium
In the match for third place, the Dominican Republic beat South Korea 10-6 and won the bronze medal.
The island team started the game with two homeruns and four runs in the first inning. However, the ninth Korean responded in the fifth inning with five runs thanks to a good hit rally.
Finally, the Dominicans added five more laps to the diamond in the eighth thanks to a wild pitch and a two-run RBI home run by Juan Francisco.
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