United States' Triston Casas shouts as he rounds first base after hitting a home run in the first inning of a baseball game against the Dominican Republic at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Aug. 4, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. The U.S. won 3-1.The Associated Press
Behind one of its oldest and one of its youngest players, the United States toppled the Dominican Republic, 3-1 in Yokohama, Japan, on Wednesday to advance to the semi-finals and preserve its gold-medal hopes.
Scott Kazmir, 37, who reached the major leagues this season after five years away, allowed just two hits over five scoreless innings while striking out five batters.
An all-star with the Tampa Bay Rays in his early 20s, Kazmir made a comeback this major league season, appearing in three games with the San Francisco Giants. When he was let go by the Giants, Team USA pounced, and the unemployed Kazmir seized the opportunity to pitch in the Olympics.
“I felt like I still had a lot in me, and I felt like the time off really did me well,” he said.
First baseman Triston Casas, 21, a top prospect for the Boston Red Sox, smashed a two-run home run in the first inning off Denyi Reyes, another player in the Red Sox farm system. It was Casas’s third home run of the Olympics. Designated hitter Tyler Austin added a solo blast in the fifth inning.
On Thursday, the United States will face the loser of Wednesday’s matchup between South Korea and undefeated Japan. Another win, and the United States will play for its first gold medal in baseball since 2000.
Despite the loss, the Dominican Republic advanced to the bronze-medal game, where it could claim its first Olympic medal in baseball.
ATHLETE DEPARTS
A Cold War-style defection loomed large over the Olympics when a Belarusian sprinter flew out from Tokyo under Poland’s diplomatic protection on a plane to Vienna. After spending two nights in Poland’s embassy, 24-year-old Krystsina Tsimanouskaya left Tokyo, walking onto a plane wearing blue jeans, a blue blouse and sunglasses with “I RUN CLEAN” written on them. Shortly after she touched down in Vienna, Austrian authorities said she would fly on to Warsaw on Wednesday.
Gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica celebrates on the podium after winning the women's 200m at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Aug. 4, 2021.LINDSEY WASSON/Reuters
SPRINTER BLOCKED
Not even the fastest woman in the world can outrun Olympics broadcast rights holders. Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah said she was blocked on Instagram from posting videos of her victorious 100- and 200-metre races. The International Olympic Committee said the removal of unauthorized content on social media was an automatic process. “Rights Holding Broadcasters (RHBs) have the exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympic Games,” the IOC told Reuters.
Arlen Lopez Cardona of Cuba, right, and Benjamin Whittaker of Britain react after their men's light heavyweight fight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Aug. 4, 2021.CARL RECINE/Reuters
CUBAN BOXER WINS GOLD
Arlen Lopez won his second Olympic title on Wednesday to put boxing powerhouse Cuba on top of the medals table in the sport, after beating Britain’s Ben Whittaker in an entertaining final of the men’s light-heavyweight contest. Lopez, the middleweight champion in the Rio Olympics, kept his cool throughout and put on a skillful display of boxing, keeping the fast-punching and tenacious Whittaker at bay and making it two golds for Cuba. Top seeds Buse Naz Cakiroglu and Busenaz Surmeneli won their semi-final bouts to give Turkey a shot at its first women’s Olympic boxing gold. The one gold-medal match of the day went to Lopez, with Whittaker battling hard throughout. The Briton never gave up, with quick bursts of pace, but he struggled to tilt the fight in his favour as Lopez’s experience shone through. The defeat was agonizing for Whittaker, who initially declined to wear his silver medal but later agreed the right man had won.
SAUNDERS PROBE SUSPENDED
The IOC suspended its investigation into a podium gesture made by American silver medallist Raven Saunders after the death of her mother. “The IOC extends its condolences to Raven and her family,” spokesperson Mark Adams said. “You will understand that given these circumstances the process is fully suspended for the time being.” The Olympics governing body, however, said it was still waiting for a formal explanation from China as to why two gold medallists wore Mao Zedong badges on the podium.
- New York Times News Service, Reuters, The Associated Press