USA Baseball Qualifies for Olympics

Veteran players — such as Edwin Jackson, 37, who tossed two scoreless innings on Saturday; Robertson 36, who notched two saves; and Frazier, 35 — supplemented a roster that relied on young talent.

Matthew Liberatore, 21, a top St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching prospect, struck out eight and allowed just two runs over two starts in the tournament, including a solid outing of four and two-thirds innings against Venezuela. Mark Kolozsvary, 25, a Cincinnati Reds catching prospect, smashed two homers during the tournament. Luke Williams, 24, a Philadelphia Phillies outfield prospect, went 8 for 16 with six runs batted in.

“It’s been an incredible experience to be able to put U.S.A. across my chest,” Williams said earlier in the tournament. “And for the first game, I got goose bumps and I can’t remember the last time a baseball game gave me goose bumps.”

While some M.L.B. teams may be reluctant to loan their players to Olympic teams because it interferes with their season or out of fear of injury, several Team U.S.A. players had made it a priority to participate in the qualifier. Frazier said the atmosphere of the stadium and intensity of the games felt like the M.L.B. playoffs.

When Team U.S.A. officials reached out, second baseman Eddy Alvarez, who was playing for the Miami Marlins’ Class AAA team, jumped at the opportunity and received permission.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/06/sports/baseball/usa-olympics.html