The four favorites before the Olympics didn’t disappoint and advanced into the playoffs of the Baseball tournament with relatively ease. Now the games count. With single elimination matches in the semi-finals and finals every brilliant pitching performance could lead to a medal.
In the early half final Korea is facing rival Japan. The preliminary round match ended with a Korean 5-3 victory, when they scored three runs in the ninth. They went on to win all seven games so far, including a 7-4 against Cuba. Japan struggled against the other two playoff participants too, though this doesn’t mean you can count out the two-time silver medalist.
In evening session we’ll see another chapter in the rivalry between Cuba and the USA. The Caribbean team won a nail biter in the first round in eleven innings and has to move past the Americans, if they want to defend Gold. It’s not going to be easy, as Team USA will send out Stephen Strasburg to the mound, who impressed all summer long.
Results, August 20:
Cuba – China 17-1 (7) Recap
Netherlands – Korea 0-10 (8) Recap
Canada – Taiwan 5-6 (12) Recap
Japan – USA 2-4 (11) Recap
Schedule, August 22:
10:30 Semi-Final 1: Korea – Japan
18:00 Semi-Final 2: Cuba – USA
