The United States reaches the goal of the semifinal in the Olympic baseball tournament, and they do so through the second repechage round. The Dominican Republic beaten 3-1, which will instead play its chances for the bronze medal against the loser of the comparison that it will oppose the Americans to the defeat of South Korea-Japan.
The game is addressed already in the first inning, when Casas shoots the home run from two points of the immediate American advantage, after the Dominican Republic had wasted a couple of notable opportunities at the top. There are very few valid ones (they will be 3 American and 5 Dominican at the end); the Dominican Republic has another chance in the third inning with Bautista who, after his double, also steals third base, but cannot do more.
In the fifth round the blow, if not fatal, almost: another home run, this time in Austin, and 3-0. In the sixth in third base Mejia arrives, once again with nothing. Over time, however, the possibilities become less and less, and only in the last inning does the home run to the right of Valerio arrive, which however is worth a single RBI and therefore proves completely useless to the Dominican cause.
At 12:00 Italian, as mentioned, there will be an appointment between South Koreans and Japanese. A normal situation would have brought to Yokohama a number of audiences with rare or perhaps no precedents, but the public cannot be there.
Photo: LaPresse
