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United States national baseball team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see United States women's national baseball team.

United States national baseball team
Information
Country United States
FederationUSA Baseball
ConfederationWBSC Americas
ManagerMark DeRosa (WBC)
Mike Scioscia (WBSC)
CaptainMike Trout[2]
WBSC ranking
Current 3 Steady (18 December 2023)[1]
Highest1 (first in September 2018)
Lowest5 (first in December 2021)
Uniforms
Home
Away
Alternate
World Baseball Classic
Appearances5 (first in 2006)
Best resultGold 1st (2017)
Olympic Games
Appearances5 (first in 1992)
Best result Gold (2000)
WBSC Premier12
Appearances3 (first in 2015)
Best resultSilver 2nd (2015)
World Cup
Appearances24 (first in 1938)
Best resultGold 1st (1973, 1974, 2007, 2009)
Intercontinental Cup
Appearances16 (first in 1973)
Best result 1st (1975, 1981)
Pan American Games
Appearances15 (first in 1951)
Best result 1st (1967)
Medal record
World Baseball Classic
Gold medal – first place 2017 Los Angeles
Silver medal – second place 2023 Miami
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Team
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Team
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing Team
WBSC Premier12
Silver medal – second place 2015 Tokyo
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Tokyo
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1973 Nicaragua
Gold medal – first place 1974 United States
Gold medal – first place 2007 Taiwan
Gold medal – first place 2009 Italy
Silver medal – second place 1938 United Kingdom
Silver medal – second place 1969 Dominican Republic
Silver medal – second place 1970 Colombia
Silver medal – second place 1972 Nicaragua
Silver medal – second place 1978 Italy
Silver medal – second place 1988 Italy
Silver medal – second place 2001 Taiwan
Bronze medal – third place 1939 Cuba
Bronze medal – third place 1940 Cuba
Bronze medal – third place 1982 South Korea
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Cuba
Intercontinental Cup
Gold medal – first place 1975 Canada
Gold medal – first place 1981 Canada
Silver medal – second place 1977 Nicaragua
Silver medal – second place 1983 Belgium
Silver medal – second place 1987 Cuba
Silver medal – second place 1993 Italy
Bronze medal – third place 1973 Italy
Bronze medal – third place 1979 Cuba
World Games
Gold medal – first place 1981 Santa Clara Team
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1967 Winnipeg Team
Silver medal – second place 1951 Buenos Aires Team
Silver medal – second place 1955 Mexico City Team
Silver medal – second place 1963 São Paulo Team
Silver medal – second place 1971 Cali Team
Silver medal – second place 1975 Mexico City Team
Silver medal – second place 1987 Indianapolis Team
Silver medal – second place 1999 Winnipeg Team
Silver medal – second place 2003 Santo Domingo Team
Silver medal – second place 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team
Silver medal – second place 2011 Guadalajara Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 Toronto Team
Bronze medal – third place 1959 Chicago Team
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Caracas Team
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Havana Team

The United States national baseball team, also known as Team USA represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 2nd in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The United States has won many international tournaments, many of which are now discontinued. Most notably the team won the Olympic baseball tournament in 2000, and the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2017.[3]

The United States national team debuted in the Baseball World Cup in 1938. The tournament was discontinued in 2011 in favor of the best-on-best World Baseball Classic. The United States won the tournament four times. In the 2000 Baseball Olympic games, the United States won their first Olympic gold in baseball.

The United States was an inaugural member of the World Baseball Classic, making its debut in the first edition. In their first three appearances in the WBC, the best finish for the Americans was fourth place in 2009. In 2017, the team won the WBC title for the first time by defeating Puerto Rico in the final game.

Team USA qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics by winning the eight-team Americas Qualifying Event in June 2021. In the Olympic competition, held in Tokyo in July and August 2021, the team won the silver medal, losing to hosts Japan in the gold medal game.

The team is governed by USA Baseball, and its headquarters/training facilities are located in Cary, North Carolina. Along with the professional national team, USA Baseball also fields a Collegiate, 18U, 15U, and 12U National baseball team. All of the teams contribute to the WBSC ranking of the US National team through various tournaments hosted by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

Throughout the years, many high-level players have been developed by USA Baseball, and have played on the national team before becoming professional players. Many players who are currently playing in Major League Baseball have also joined the team for the World Baseball Classic and Olympic baseball tournaments.

History

[edit]

Early years

[edit]
Further information: Baseball at the Summer Olympics

International baseball games were played informally by American teams, against Canadian clubs, as early as 1860.[4] However, the development of a national team occurred with the early Summer Olympics, which saw baseball debut unofficially in 1904 in St. Louis (though few records exist). An ad-hoc American team, including future Major League Baseball player Jim Thorpe, competed against a Swedish team at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, and a team of World War I servicemen played a Canadian team at the 1919 Inter-Allied Games in Paris.

Leslie Mann in 1940

Leslie Mann, a former Major Leaguer himself, is credited with the formation of the first true U.S. national team. He formed the United States Amateur Baseball Association (also known as the USA Baseball Congress) on February 19, 1931, with the hopes of sponsoring an international tournament.[5] Mann's efforts to include baseball at the Olympics saw little success (no other country sent a team to 1936 in Berlin, and the 1940 Games in Tokyo were cancelled due to World War II), but he did hold the first Amateur World Series in 1938. The U.S. team, made out of amateur players, lost a best-of-five series against Great Britain.[6]

The USA Baseball Congress sent a national team to the Amateur World Series in 1939, 1940 (tying for a silver medal), and 1941, all held in Havana, Cuba. But the United States's international participation was hampered by World War II, as well as the country's early withdrawal from the 1942 Amateur World Series due to a brawl with the Dominican Republic team and, purportedly, the influence of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo.[7] After 1942, the United States was largely absent from the international baseball scene, as it did not participate in another Amateur World Series until 1969.

Dick Griesser, a future Collegiate All-American, on the U.S. team at the 1956 Summer Olympics

While an American team competed against Australia at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the next "official" participation in an international tournament (i.e. recognized by USA Baseball) was at the 1959 Pan American Games.[8] Held at Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park in Chicago, the 1959 team was made up of collegiate players, including future Hall-of-Famer Lou Brock.[9] The United States team made its first official appearance at the Olympics during the 1964 Tokyo Games, managed by longtime University of Southern California coach Rod Dedeaux.[10]

The United States returned to the Amateur World Series in Santo Domingo in 1969, narrowly losing the gold medal to Cuba. However, international baseball was fraught with tensions in the early 1970s; as a result of protracted disagreements with FIBA, the international governing body of baseball, the U.S. federation withdrew in 1973 and formed its own body, the World Amateur Baseball Federation (better known as FEMBA, or the Federación Mundial de Béisbol Amateur).[11] That year, it won its first Amateur World Series in Nicaragua, and repeated a year later in St. Petersburg, Florida (the first Amateur World Series held on U.S. soil).[12] The FIBA-FEMBA split was resolved by 1975, and the U.S. and its followers rejoined the new group, AINBA.[13]

The USA won the gold medal in the first ever World Games, held in Santa Clara, California in 1981, with a collegiate roster including Franklin Stubbs, Oddibe McDowell, Spike Owen, among other future major leaguers.

Olympic competitions

[edit]
Will Clark on the 1984 Olympic team

The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles was the first to feature a tournament in the program. Eight teams competed in the tournament held at Dodger Stadium. Cuba, after winning the gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games, was to participate, but did not as a result of the Soviet-led boycott. The United States national team (Team USA) finished second, falling to Japan in the final game, 6–3. No official medals were awarded as baseball was a demonstration sport.

Baseball returned as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Again an eight-team tournament, the United States finished first in the tournament, defeating Japan, 5–3, in the final game.

Baseball became an official medal sport beginning with the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Competition was open only to male amateurs in 1992 and 1996. As a result, Team USA and other nations where professional baseball is developed relied on college baseball players, while Cuba used their most experienced veterans, who technically were considered amateurs as they nominally held other jobs. Professional baseball players were introduced in 2000, but the situation remained largely the same. No active players from Major League Baseball (MLB) competed—as MLB declined to release its players—so Team USA utilized minor-league players and free agents, while Cuba and some other nations were still able to use their best players, as they had no commitments with MLB.[14][15][16][17] Nevertheless, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Team USA won the bronze medal over Nicaragua after finishing with a 6–1 record in pool play and losing to Japan in the semifinals.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Team USA had a 6–1 record in pool play, then defeated South Korea in the semifinals, followed by a win over Cuba in the gold-medal game.

The United States did not qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, despite being the defending gold medalists, after losing a qualifying game to Mexico, 1–0. That qualifier was controversial due to its format (single-elimination, rather than double-elimination), scheduling, and the fact that only two slots were given to nations from the Americas, while Europe received three. Team USA qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics by winning the American Qualifying Tournament. In Beijing, Team USA had a 5–2 record in pool play, then lost to Cuba in the semifinals, followed by a win over Japan in the bronze-medal match.

Further information: Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics § Controversy

Nevertheless, the U.S. returned four years later at the Beijing Games, finishing with a 5–2 record in pool play. The U.S. lost to Cuba in the semifinals, but beat Japan in the bronze-medal match.

At the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting on July 8, 2005, baseball and softball were voted out of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, becoming the first sports voted out of the Olympics since polo was eliminated from the 1936 Summer Olympics.[18] The IOC cited the absence of the best players as the main reason for baseball being dropped from the Olympic program following the 2008 games.[15] Baseball returned to the Olympic program for the 2020 games, held in 2021 in Tokyo. It will not be part of the 2024 games in Paris, but is scheduled for the 2028 games in Los Angeles.[19]

The first World Baseball Classics

[edit]

2006 Classic

[edit]
See also: 2006 World Baseball Classic rosters § United States

On January 17, 2006, the United States announced its provisional 60-man roster (52 players in all), and whittled down the squad mixed with youth and experience to 30 players on February 14, 2006. Sixteen of the 30 Major League clubs were represented on the 2006 squad, including multiple representatives from the New York Yankees (4), Houston Astros (3), Washington Nationals (3), Atlanta Braves (2), Boston Red Sox (2), Chicago Cubs (2), Colorado Rockies (2), Houston Astros (2), and Texas Rangers (2). The fact that four Yankees were selected for the squad irked Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who was opposed to the WBC being held in the middle of spring training to the point where at his team's complex in Tampa, Florida, he posted a sign apologizing for their absence and mocking the tournament in the process. Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig promptly ordered him to take down the sign the next day.

Manager Buck Martinez brought his 17 years of professional experience as a major league catcher, and 1+ seasons as Toronto Blue Jays' (2001–2002) skipper to the U.S. team. Former big league managers Davey Johnson and Marcel Lachemann served as hitting coach and pitching coach, respectively.

Along with fellow North American rivals Canada and Mexico, the U.S. hosted the South Africa. Round One games were held at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona and Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona. The top two teams advanced to Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California. Despite a surprising loss to Canada, the United States advanced to the second round via tiebreaker. However, second-round losses to South Korea and Mexico allowed Japan to advance over the Americans via tiebreak.

2009 Classic

[edit]
See also: 2009 World Baseball Classic rosters § United States

The United States competed in Pool C of the 2009 World Baseball Classic along with Italy, Venezuela, and host Canada. The U.S. won the pool opener against Canada by a score of 6-, and secured advancement into Round 2 by defeating Venezuela in a 15–6 slugfest. Venezuela, however, came back to defeat the U.S. in the championship game of Pool C, 5–3.

On March 14, in their first match of round 2 against Puerto Rico, in Miami, Florida's Dolphin Stadium, the United States was mercy ruled for the first time in international competition, losing 11–1 in seven innings. Adam Dunn and Captain Derek Jeter were among the ones to voice their distaste with the severe beating. Manager Davey Johnson even stated "I should have stayed there", referencing a wedding he was at earlier in the day.

The United States came on strong the following day against the surprising Netherlands (who had already eliminated a tournament super power: The Dominican Republic), jumping out to a 6–0 lead in the fourth inning, and winning 9–3. With Puerto Rico losing to Venezuela 2–0 the following day, the U.S. would face Puerto Rico once again in the qualifying round. The loser would be eliminated from the tournament. With Puerto Rico leading 5–3 in the 9th inning, singles by Shane Victorino and Brian Roberts and walks by Jimmy Rollins and Kevin Youkilis cut the lead to 5–4 for New York Mets third baseman David Wright, who looped a barely-fair single into right that brought in Roberts and Rollins to win the game, 6–5, advancing to the semifinals while eliminating Puerto Rico. The United States would go on to lose to Japan 9–4 in the second semifinal.

2013 Classic

[edit]
See also: 2013 World Baseball Classic rosters § United States

The United States team competed in Pool D of the 2013 World Baseball Classic along with Italy, Canada, and Mexico. The U.S. team lost to Mexico in the first round 5–2, but later won two games against Canada and Italy, securing their place for the second round, along with Italy, on Pool 2.

On March 12, they beat Puerto Rico 7–1, which then proceeded to face off against the Dominican Republic on March 14, losing 3–1 where they face off Puerto Rico once again the next day, as Puerto Rico beat the American team 4–3 (as revenge for being eliminated from the 2009 World Baseball Classic), thus eliminating them from the tournament.

Team USA came in second in the inaugural WBSC Premier12 tournament in 2015.

Classic success and return to the Olympics

[edit]

2017 Classic

[edit]

The Americans won their first game over Colombia, 3–2, in 10 innings on a walk-off single by Adam Jones. After losing to the Dominican Republic after having a 5-run lead, the U.S. defeated Canada to reach the Second Round.

In the Second Round the Americans won the first game of the round defeating Venezuela 4–2. In the second game the U.S. was defeated by Puerto Rico 6–5 after giving up 4 runs in the 1st inning. The U.S. then defeated the Dominican Republic to advance to the Championship Round.

In the Championship Round Semifinals on March 21, the Americans defeated Japan 2–1 to advance to their first-ever appearance in the Final. In the Final on March 22, the U.S. once again faced Puerto Rico; the U.S. however, ended up winning 8–0 capturing the first ever World Baseball Classic Title for the United States. Following the conclusion of the tournament, Eric Hosmer, Christian Yelich, and Marcus Stroman were named to the 2017 All-World Baseball Classic team.[20]

2020 Olympics

[edit]
Main article: Baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Members of the 2020 Olympic squad before a scrimmage at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in 2021

Team USA came in fourth in the 12-team 2019 WBSC Premier12 Tournament in November 2019, with Scott Brosius as manager. With third-place Mexico as the top finisher from the Americas in that tournament, Team USA missed the chance to immediately qualify for the six spots open for the 2020 Olympic Games.[21][22] The team subsequently qualified, with Mike Scioscia as manager, by winning the Americas Qualifying Event held from May 31 to June 5, 2021, in Florida.[23] Luke Williams led the team in batting average (.444), runs (6), hits (8), and RBIs (6), Todd Frazier and Mark Kolozsvary led in home runs (2), and David Robertson led the team in saves (2).[24]

At the Olympics, the team first won its three-team pool, via victories over South Korea and Israel. In the modified double-elimination bracket, the team lost to Japan in the second round, then defeated the Dominican Republic in the repechage and South Korea in the semi-finals and advanced to the gold medal game where the team lost to Japan for the second time.[25] Team Japan was made up of players from Nippon Professional Baseball, which paused its season for the Olympics,[26] while Team USA fielded minor-league players and free agents with major-league experience.[27][28]

2023 Classic

[edit]

Team USA won their first game in pool play against Great Britain 6–2. They lost their next game against Mexico 11–5 in which would ultimately be their only pool play loss. The United States won their final two games against Canada and Colombia and advanced to the knockout stage.

In their quarterfinal matchup against Venezuela, the Americans were trailing 7–5 in the 8th when Trea Turner hit a go-ahead Grand Slam to win the game 9–7 for Team USA to advance to the semi-finals. There, the U.S. blew out Cuba 14–2 and advanced to the Championship round for the second time in a row.

Their Championship round opponent was a championship much anticipated for the WBC, which was Japan. The Americans took an early 1–0 lead on a Trea Turner homerun but could not close the door and lost to Japan, with the final score being 3–2. Trea Turner and Mike Trout were named to the 2023 All-World Baseball Classic team.[29]

Current roster

[edit]
The cap logo of USA Baseball

The roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic:

United States roster – 2023 World Baseball Classic roster
Players Coaches
Pitchers
 Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

 Manager

Coaches



  • 30 active
  • (15 pitchers, 15 position players)
Updated: February 10, 2023[30]

Results and fixtures

[edit]

The following is a list of professional baseball game results currently active in the latest version of the WBSC World Rankings, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.[31]

Legend

  Win   Lose   Void or postponed   Fixture

2019

[edit]
WBSC Premier12 GS November 2 Netherlands  0–9  United States Estadio Panamericano, Mexico
12:00 CT Boxscore Attendance: 3,015
WBSC Premier12 GS November 3 Mexico  3–2  United States Estadio Panamericano, Mexico
19:00 CT Boxscore Attendance: 10,123
WBSC Premier12 GS November 4 United States  10–8  Dominican Republic Estadio Panamericano, Mexico
19:00 CT Boxscore Attendance: 3,102
WBSC Premier12 SR November 11 United States  1–5  South Korea Tokyo Dome, Japan
19:00 JT Boxscore Attendance: 3,012
WBSC Premier12 SR November 12 United States  4–3  Japan Tokyo Dome, Japan
19:00 JT Boxscore Attendance: 27,827
WBSC Premier12 SR November 13 Australia  2–1  United States Tokyo Dome, Japan
12:00 JT Boxscore Attendance: 2,149
WBSC Premier12 SR November 15 Chinese Taipei  2–3  United States Tokyo Dome, Japan
12:00 JT Boxscore Attendance: 4,967
WBSC Premier12 3rd November 17 United States  2–3 (F/10)  Mexico Tokyo Dome, Japan
12:00 JT Boxscore Attendance: 0

2021

[edit]
2020 Summer Olympics GS July 30 United States  8–1  Israel Yokohama Stadium, Japan
19:00 JT WP: Joe Ryan
HR: Tyler Austin (1) 		Boxscore LP: Joey Wagman
HR: Danny Valencia (1)
2020 Summer Olympics GS July 31 South Korea  2–4  United States Yokohama Stadium, Japan
19:00 JT LP: Ko Young-pyo
 Boxscore WP: Nick Martinez
Sv: David Robertson (1)
HR: Triston Casas (1), Nick Allen (1)
2020 Summer Olympics R2 August 2 United States  6–7 (F/10)  Japan Yokohama Stadium, Japan
19:00 JT LP: Edwin Jackson
HR: Triston Casas (2) 		Boxscore WP: Ryoji Kuribayashi
HR: Seiya Suzuki (1)
2020 Summer Olympics R2R August 4 Dominican Republic  1–3  United States Yokohama Stadium, Japan
12:00 JT LP: Denyi Reyes
HR: Charlie Valerio (1) 		Boxscore WP: Scott Kazmir
Sv: David Robertson (2)
HR: Triston Casas (3), Tyler Austin (2)
2020 Summer Olympics SF August 5 South Korea  2–7  United States Yokohama Stadium, Japan
19:00 JT LP: Lee Eui-lee
 Boxscore WP: Ryder Ryan
HR: Jamie Westbrook (1)
2020 Summer Olympics Gold August 7 United States  0–2  Japan Yokohama Stadium, Japan
19:00 JT LP: Nick Martinez
 Boxscore WP: Masato Morishita
Sv: Ryoji Kuribayashi (3)
HR: Munetaka Murakami (1)

2022

[edit]
Haarlem Week GS July 9 United States  0–1 (F/8)  Japan Mulier Stadium, Netherlands
13:00 CET Boxscore
Haarlem Week GS July 10 Italy  0–9  United States Mulier Stadium, Netherlands
12:00 CET Boxscore
Haarlem Week GS July 11 Cuba  0–2  United States Mulier Stadium, Netherlands
19:30 CET Boxscore
Haarlem Week GS July 12 Netherlands  0–10 (F/6)  United States Mulier Stadium, Netherlands
19:30 CET Boxscore
Haarlem Week GS July 13 United States  2–3  Curaçao Mulier Stadium, Netherlands
15:30 CET Boxscore
Haarlem Week SF July 14 United States  2–3 (F/10)  Curaçao Mulier Stadium, Netherlands
15:30 CET Boxscore
Haarlem Week 3rd July 15 United States  5–1  Japan Mulier Stadium, Netherlands
15:30 CET Boxscore

2023

[edit]
World Baseball Classic GS March 11 Great Britain  2–6  United States Chase Field, United States
19:00 MT LP: Vance Worley (0–1)
HR: Trayce Thompson (1) 		Boxscore WP: Adam Wainwright (1–0)
HR: Kyle Schwarber (1) 		Attendance: 39,650
Umpires: HP – Carlos Torres, 1B – Felix Tejada, 2B – Bill Miller, 3B – Jhonatan Biarreta
World Baseball Classic GS March 12 Mexico  11–5  United States Chase Field, United States
19:00 MT WP: Patrick Sandoval (1–0)
HR: Joey Meneses (2) 		Boxscore LP: Nick Martinez (0–1)
HR: Will Smith (1) 		Attendance: 47,534
Umpires: HP: Alan Porter. 1B: Jairo Mendoza. 2B: Edwin Louisa. 3B: Cory Blaser.
World Baseball Classic GS March 13 Canada  1–12 (F/7)  United States Chase Field, United States
19:00 MT LP: Mitch Bratt (0–1)
HR: Jared Young (1) 		Boxscore WP: Lance Lynn (1–0)
HR: Mike Trout (1), Trea Turner (1) 		Attendance: 29,621
Umpires: HP – Bill Miller, 1B – Edwin Louisa, 2B – Alan Porter, 3B – Jairo Mendoza
World Baseball Classic GS March 15 United States  3–2  Colombia Chase Field, United States
19:00 MT WP: Kendall Graveman (1–0)
Sv: Ryan Pressly (1)
 Boxscore LP: Ruben Galindo (0–1)
 Attendance: 29,856
Umpires: HP – Alan Porter, 1B – Bill Miller, 2B – Jairo Mendoza, 3B – Roberto Peralta
World Baseball Classic QF March 18 United States  9–7  Venezuela loanDepot Park, United States
19:00 ET WP: David Bednar (1–0)
Sv: Ryan Pressly (2)
HR: Kyle Tucker (1), Trea Turner (2) 		Boxscore LP: José Quijada (0–1)
HR: Luis Arráez 2 (2) 		Attendance: 35,792
Umpires: HP: Dan Bellino. 1B: Will Little. 2B: Atsushi Fukaya. 3B: Kun Young Park.
World Baseball Classic SF March 19 Cuba  2–14  United States loanDepot Park, United States
19:00 ET LP: Roenis Elías (0–1)
 Boxscore WP: Adam Wainwright (2–0)
HR: Paul Goldschmidt (1), Trea Turner 2 (4), Cedric Mullins (1) 		Attendance: 35,779
Umpires: HP – John Tumpane, 1B – Quinn Wolcott, 2B – Lance Barksdale, 3B – Jong Chui Park, LF – Ramiro Alfaro, RF – Edward Pinales
World Baseball Classic F March 21 United States  2–3  Japan loanDepot Park, United States
19:00 ET LP: Merrill Kelly (0–1)
HR: Trea Turner (5), Kyle Schwarber (2) 		Boxscore WP: Shōta Imanaga (1–0)
Sv: Shohei Ohtani (1)
HR: Munetaka Murakami (1), Kazuma Okamoto (2) 		Attendance: 36,098
Umpires: HP – Lance Barksdale, 1B – John Tumpane, 2B – Edward Pinales, 3B – Ramiro Alfaro, LF – Jong Chui Park, RF – Quinn Wolcott

Competitive record

[edit]

World Baseball Classic

[edit]

In 2005, Major League Baseball announced the formation of the World Baseball Classic, a 16-nation international competition to be held in March of 2006 for the first time. The tournament was the first of its kind to have the national teams of IBAF's member federations feature professional players from the major leagues around the world, including Major League Baseball.

World Baseball Classic record Qualification record
Host nation(s)
and year 		Result Pos Pld W L RS RA Squad W L RS RA
United States 2006 Quarter-finals 8th of 16 6 3 3 33 20 Squad No qualifiers held
Canada United States 2009 Third place 3rd of 16 8 4 4 50 54 Squad No qualifiers held
United States 2013 Quarter-finals 6th of 16 6 3 3 28 19 Squad Automatically qualified
United States 2017 Champions 1st of 16 8 6 2 41 21 Squad Automatically qualified
United States 2023 Runners Up 2nd of 20 7 5 2 51 27 Squad Automatically qualified
Total 1 title 5/5 35 21 14 203 141 — — — — —

Record by team

[edit]
Team
 Main tournament
GP
 W
 L
 Pct.
 RF
 RA
 RD
 Canada 5 4 1 0.800 41 18 +23
 Puerto Rico 6 3 3 0.500 30 27 +3
 Colombia 2 2 0 1.000 6 4 +2
 Italy 1 1 0 1.000 6 2 +4
 Netherlands 1 1 0 1.000 9 3 +6
 South Africa 1 1 0 1.000 17 0 +17
 Japan 4 2 2 0.500 12 16 −4
 Mexico 4 1 3 0.250 10 18 −8
 Venezuela 5 3 2 0.600 37 30 +7
 Dominican Republic 3 1 2 0.333 12 13 −1
 South Korea 1 0 1 0.000 3 7 −4
 Great Britain 1 1 0 1.000 6 2 +4
 Cuba 1 1 0 1.000 14 2 +12
Total 35 21 14 0.618 203 142 +62
2006 WBC Results
March 7
1st Round, Pool B – Game 1 		Mexico  0–2  United States United States Chase Field
Attendance: 32,727
Boxscore
March 8
1st Round, Pool D – Game 3 		Canada  8–6  United States United States Chase Field
Attendance: 16,993
Boxscore
March 10
1st Round, Pool D – Game 6 		United States  17–0 (F/5)  South Africa United States Scottsdale Stadium
Attendance: 11,975
Boxscore
March 12
2nd Round, Pool 1 – Game 1 		Japan  3–4  United States United States Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Attendance: 32,896
Boxscore
March 13
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 3 		United States  3–7  South Korea United States Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Attendance: 21,288
Boxscore
March 16
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 5 		United States  1–2  Mexico United States Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Attendance: 38,284
Boxscore
2009 WBC Results
March 7
1st Round, Pool C – Game 1 		Canada  5–6  United States Canada Rogers Centre
Attendance: 42,314
Boxscore
March 8
1st Round, Pool D – Game 3 		United States  15–6  Venezuela Canada Rogers Centre
Attendance: 13,094
Boxscore
March 11
1st Round, Pool D – Game 6 		Venezuela  5–3  United States Canada Rogers Centre
Attendance: 12,358
Boxscore
March 14
2nd Round, Pool 1 – Game 2 		United States  1–11 (F/7)  Puerto Rico United States Dolphin Stadium
Attendance: 30,595
Boxscore
March 15
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 3 		Netherlands  3–9  United States United States Dolphin Stadium
Attendance: 11,059
Boxscore
March 17
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 5 		Puerto Rico  5–6  United States United States Dolphin Stadium
Attendance: 13,224
Boxscore
March 18
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 6 		United States  6–10  Venezuela United States Dolphin Stadium
Attendance: 16,575
Boxscore
March 22
Semifinals 		United States  4–9  Japan United States Dodger Stadium
Attendance: 43,630
Boxscore
2013 WBC Results
March 8
1st Round, Pool D – Game C 		Mexico  5–2  United States United States Chase Field
Attendance: 44,256
Boxscore
March 9
1st Round, Pool D – Game 5 		Italy  2–6  United States United States Chase Field
Attendance: 19,303
Boxscore
March 10
1st Round, Pool D – Game 6 		United States  9–4  Canada United States Chase Field
Attendance: 22,425
Boxscore
March 14
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 2 		Puerto Rico  1–7  United States United States Marlins Park
Attendance: 32,872
Boxscore
March 15
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 4 		Dominican Republic  3–1  United States United States Marlins Park
Attendance: 34,366.
Boxscore
March 16
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 5 		Puerto Rico  4–3  United States United States Marlins Park
Attendance: 19,762
Boxscore
2017 WBC Results
March 10
1st Round, Pool C – Game 2 		Colombia  2–3  United States United States Marlins Park
Attendance: 22,580
Boxscore
March 11
1st Round, Pool C – Game 4 		United States  5–7  Dominican Republic United States Marlins Park
Attendance: 37,446
Boxscore
March 12
1st Round, Pool C – Game 6 		Canada  0–8  United States United States Marlins Park
Attendance: 22,303
Boxscore
March 15
2nd Round, Pool F – Game 2 		Venezuela  2–4  United States United States Petco Park
Attendance: 16,635
Boxscore
March 17
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 4 		United States  5–6  Puerto Rico United States Petco Park
Attendance: 34,463
Boxscore
March 18
2nd Round, Pool 2 – Game 6 		Dominican Republic  3–6  United States United States Petco Park
Attendance: 43,002
Boxscore
March 21
Semifinals 		United States  2–1  Japan United States Dodger Stadium
Attendance: 33,462
Boxscore
March 22
Finals 		United States  8–0  Puerto Rico United States Dodger Stadium
Attendance: 51,565
Boxscore
2023 WBC Results
March 11th
10:00 P.M. EST, 7:00 P.M. PST
Pool C, Game 1 		 Great Britain 2–6 United States  Chase Field, Phoenix Arizona
Attendance: 39,650
Boxscore
March 12th
10:00 P.M. EST, 7:00 P.M. PST
Pool C, Game 2 		 Mexico 11–5 United States  Chase Field, Phoenix Arizona
Attendance: 47,534
Boxscore
March 13th
10:00 P.M. EST, 7:00 P.M. PST
Pool C, Game 3 		 Canada 1–12 (F/7) United States  Chase Field, Phoenix Arizona
Attendance: 29,621
Boxscore
March 15th
10:00 P.M. EST, 7:00 P.M. PST
Pool C, Game 4 		United States  3–2  Colombia Chase Field, Phoenix Arizona
Attendance: 29,856
Boxscore
March 18th
7:00 P.M. EST, 4:00 P.M. PST
Quarterfinals 		United States  9–7  Venezuela Marlins Park, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 35,782
Boxscore
March 19th
7:00 P.M. EST, 4:00 P.M. PST
Semifinals 		 Cuba 2–14 United States  Marlins Park, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 35,779
Boxscore
March 21st
7:00 P.M. EST, 4:00 P.M. PST
Finals 		United States  2–3  Japan Marlins Park, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 36,098
Boxscore

Olympic Games

[edit]
Summer Olympics record Qualification
Year Result Position W L % RS RA Method
Sweden 1912 Exhibition only 1 0 1.000 13 3 No qualifiers held
Finland 1952 Did not enter
Australia 1956 Exhibition only 1 0 1.000 11 5
Japan 1964 Exhibition only 1 0 1.000 5 2
United States 1984 Finals 2nd[a] 4 1 .800 38 16 Qualified as hosts
South Korea 1988 Finals 1st[a] 4 1 .800 36 20 1987 Pan American Games
Spain 1992 Fourth Place 4th 5 4 .556 53 39 1991 Pan American Games
United States 1996 Bronze medal 3rd 7 2 .778 93 41 Qualified as hosts
Australia 2000 Gold medal 1st 8 1 .889 49 16 1999 Pan American Games
Greece 2004 Did not qualify Did not qualify
China 2008 Bronze medal 3rd 6 3 .667 54 35 Americas Qualifying Tournament
Japan 2020 Silver medal 2nd 4 2 .667 28 15 Americas Qualifying Event
United States 2028 To be determined Qualified as hosts
Total [b] 1 Title 6/7 30 12 .714 277 146
  1. ^ a b No medals awarded; tournament was a demonstration sport only
  2. ^ Totals only include years 1992 to 2008 and 2020, during which baseball was an official medal sport.
1992 USA Baseball Olympic Team

Note: Jason Moler of Cal State Fullerton was initially named to the squad as one of the catchers, but was replaced by Varitek due to injury prior to the start of the competition.[32]

Source:[33][34][35]

1996 USA Baseball Olympic Team

Manager: Skip Bertman[36]

Source:[37]

2008 USA Baseball Olympic Team
2008 USA Baseball Olympic Team roster
Players Coaches
Pitchers
 Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

 Manager

Coaches


2020 USA Baseball Olympic Team
2020 USA Baseball Olympic Team roster
Players Coaches
Pitchers
 Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

 Manager

Coaches


The team's roster for the Olympics was released on July 2, 2021.[40]

WBSC Premier12

[edit]
WBSC Premier12 record
Year Result Pos Pld W L RS RA Squad Rank
Taiwan Japan 2015 Runners Up 2nd 8 6 2 43 34 Squad 2nd
Mexico Japan 2019 Fourth Place 4th 9 4 5 34 39 Squad 4th
Mexico Japan 2024 Third Place 3rd 9 5 4 51 36 Squad 3rd
Total 0 Title 3/3 26 15 11 128 109 — —

Baseball World Cup (1938–2011)

[edit]

In 1988, the Amateur World Series became the International Baseball Federation's (IBAF) World Cup.

Since 1938, the U.S. has won 15 medals at the Baseball World Cup: four gold (1973, 1974, 2007, 2009), eight silver (1938, 1940, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1978, 1988, 2001), and three bronze (1939, 1982, 1984).

The U.S. was usually represented by college players in these tournaments, while Cuba used its best players.

Amateur World Series & Baseball World Cup record
Year Result Position Pld W L % RS RA Org.
United Kingdom 1938 Single-table tournament 2nd 5 1 4 .200 14 20 IBF
Cuba 1939 Single-table tournament 3rd 6 0 6 .000 9 30
Cuba 1940 Single-table tournament 2nd[a] 12 9 3 .750 51 20
Cuba 1941 Single-table tournament 6th 8 2 6 .250
Cuba 1942 Single-table tournament Withdrew 8[b] 1 11 .083
Cuba 1943 Did not enter
Venezuela 1944 FIBA
Venezuela 1945
Colombia 1947
Nicaragua 1948
Nicaragua 1950
Mexico 1951
Cuba 1952
Venezuela 1953
Costa Rica 1961
Colombia 1965
Dominican Republic 1969 Single-table tournament 2nd 10 9 1 .900
Colombia 1970 Single-table tournament 2nd 13 10 3 .769
Cuba 1971 Did not enter
Nicaragua 1972 Single-table tournament 2nd 15 13 2 .867
Cuba 1973 Did not enter
Nicaragua 1973 Single-table tournament 1st 10 10 0 1.000 FEMBA
United States 1974 Single-table tournament 1st 10 9 1 .900
Colombia 1976 Did not enter AINBA
Italy 1978 Single-table tournament 2nd 10 9 1 .900
Japan 1980 Single-table tournament 4th 11 8 3 .727
South Korea 1982 Single-table tournament 3rd 9 6 3 .667 IBAF
Cuba 1984 Single-table tournament 3rd 12 8 4 .667
Netherlands 1986 Single-table tournament 4th 11 7 4 .636
Italy 1988 Finals 2nd 13 11 2 .846
Canada 1990 Second round 7th 9 5 4 .556
Nicaragua 1994 Quarterfinals 8th 8 4 4 .500
Italy 1998 Pool stage 8th 7 4 3 .571
Taiwan 2001 Finals 2nd 10 7 3 .700
Cuba 2003 Fifth place game 5th 9 7 2 .778
Netherlands 2005 Seventh place game 7th 11 7 4 .636
Taiwan 2007 Finals 1st 10 9 1 .900
Italy 2009 Finals 1st 15 14 1 .933
Panama 2011 Fourth place game 4th 11 7 4 .636
Total 4 Titles 24/39 249 177 80 .689 — —
  1. ^ Tied with Nicaragua
  2. ^ The United States had a 1-7 record before forfeiting its last four games

2007

[edit]

The U.S. was in group A of the 2007 IBAF World Cup, along with Republic of China, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Italy, Spain and South Africa. The U.S. went 6–1 to win their group, with their only loss coming on November 9, 2007 against Italy. It was the U.S.'s first loss to Italy in 21 years and the first time it ever lost to Italy with professional players, as the team consisted of minor league prospects.

This one loss, however, would be their only. The U.S. went on to beat Korea, Netherlands, and Cuba to capture the gold.

2009

[edit]

In Round 1 of the 2009 Baseball World Cup, the U.S. (2–1) finished second in Group E and advanced with first-place Venezuela (3–0). In Round 2, the U.S. was joined by the nine other first- and second-place teams from Round 1, four wild-card teams, and the two principal host teams (Italy and the Netherlands). The 16 teams were divided into Groups F and G. The U.S. (7–0) defeated each of the other seven teams in Group G. In Round 3, the first four teams in Group F were renamed Group 1 and the first four teams in Group G were renamed Group 2. The U.S. finished first in Group 2 with a record of 7–0; Cuba finished first in Group 1, with a 5–2 record. In the Final Round, Group 1 and 2's fourth-place teams competed for overall seventh place; the two third-place teams competed for overall fifth place; and the two second-place teams competed for the bronze medal. In the gold-medal game, the U.S. defeated Cuba, 10–5.

Tournament awards were given to Justin Smoak (MVP) and Todd Redmond (best won/loss average (pitcher)). Smoak (first base) was also named to the tournament All-Star Team, along with Jon Weber (outfield) and Terry Tiffee (designated hitter).

Minor tournaments

[edit]

Intercontinental Cup

[edit]

The Intercontinental Cup was an IBAF tournament first held in 1973 in Italy, and held every other year until 1999. The U.S. sat out the last three tournaments, in 2002, 2006, and 2010.

Future big leaguers who competed with the U.S. collegiate team in the Intercontinental Cup include Joe Carter, Terry Francona, Mickey Morandini, John Olerud, and Robin Ventura.

   

Pan American Games

[edit]

The U.S. and Cuba have been archrivals at the Pan American Games ever since the event began in 1951. The U.S. has finished second behind Cuba eight of the 12 times they have brought home the gold. Likewise, when the U.S. won the gold medal at the 1967 Pan American Games, Cuba finished second. The U.S. roster is usually composed of promising college players, while Cuba is able to send its best players.

In total, the U.S. has won one gold medal, eleven silver medals, and three bronze medals. The only games the U.S. failed to medal in were 1979 and 1995. For the 1995 games, the U.S. did not send their national team, but instead the St. John's University baseball team, who finished 0–4 against the international all-star teams.

   

Haarlem Baseball Week

[edit]
Main article: Haarlem Baseball Week

World Port Tournament

[edit]
Main article: World Port Tournament

Collegiate National Team

[edit]
Gerrit Cole pitching for the Collegiate National team in 2010

USA Baseball also fields a Collegiate National Team which has 22 members of top collegiate baseball players in the country, consisting of five infielders, four outfielders, two catchers, nine pitchers, and a pair of two-way players. The team competes in exhibition games across the U.S. and overseas against teams from across the world, including teams from Canada, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and the Netherlands.[41] The 2009 team won the World Baseball Challenge in Canada.

Players who took the field for the Collegiate National Team and have gone on to Major League Baseball success include such notables as Jim Abbott, Kris Bryant, Troy Glaus, Todd Helton, Ryan Howard, Barry Larkin, Tino Martinez, Dustin Pedroia, David Price, Huston Street, Mark Teixeira, Troy Tulowitzki, Trea Turner, Jason Varitek, Carlos Rodon, Gerrit Cole, Will Clark and Ryan Zimmerman.

Other national teams

[edit]

USA Baseball also fields 18U, 15U, and 12U national baseball teams. Former national teams included 16U and 14U national teams. USA Baseball also hosts two national team development programs in the age divisions of 17U and 14U. The selection processes for these programs can be found on the official website of USA Baseball and these team programs also have their respective Twitter pages.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "The WBSC World Ranking". WBSC. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "Mike Trout to captain Team USA at 2023 World Baseball Classic". NBC Sports. July 19, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "US routs Puerto Rico 8–0 to win WBC behind dominant Stroman". ABC News. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  4. ^ Humber, William. "The First Ever International 'Base Ball' Game". SABR. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  5. ^ "Les Mann". SABR. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  6. ^ Riccardo Schiroli (2019). The Game We Love (PDF). World Baseball Softball Confederation. p. 21.
  7. ^ Schiroli, p. 30
  8. ^ "History". USA Baseball. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Olderr, Steven (2003). The Pan American Games: A Statistical History, 1951-1999, bilingual edition. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786443369.
  10. ^ Cava, Pete (Summer 1992). "Baseball in the Olympics". Citius, Altius, Fortius. 1 (1): 12.
  11. ^ Yoder, April (September 29, 2016). "Dominican Baseball and Latin American Pluralism, 1969–1974". Latin American History.
  12. ^ Schiroli, p. 30
  13. ^ Schiroli, p. 79
  14. ^ Gems, Gerald; Borish, Linda; Pfister, Gertrud (2017). Sports in American History, 2E: From Colonization to Globalization – Gems, Gerald, Borish, Linda, Pfister, Gertrud. ISBN 9781492526520. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (2001). Official Report of the XXVII Olympiad (PDF). Vol. 2: Celebrating the Games. Canberra, Australia: Paragon Printers Australasia. pp. 176–9. ISBN 0-9579616-0-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  16. ^ "The Olympic Team No Dream". CBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  17. ^ OlympicTalk (January 8, 2021). "Tommy Lasorda, only manager of World Series, Olympic champions, dies at 93 - OlympicTalk | NBC Sports". Olympics.nbcsports.com.
  18. ^ "Singapore 2005: 2012 Olympic Sport Vote". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved March 18, 2007.
  19. ^ Dave, Paresh (August 8, 2021). "Olympics-Will Dodger Stadium host baseball, softball at Los Angeles 2028?". WKZO (AM). Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  20. ^ "World Baseball Classic: Previous champs, results, medal count, MVPs, All-WBC teams", CBS Sports.
  21. ^ "Two teams from WBSC Premier12 2019 to qualify for 2020 Tokyo Olympic Baseball". WBSC.org. December 19, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  22. ^ "USA Baseball Announces Premier12 Staff Changes". USA Baseball. October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  23. ^ "Baseball Americas Qualifier 2021 – The official site – WBSC". olympicbaseballqualifier.wbsc.org.
  24. ^ "Baseball Americas Qualifier 2021 – The official site – WBSC". olympicbaseballqualifier.wbsc.org.
  25. ^ "Baseball/Softball – United States vs Japan – Gold Medal Game Results". olympics.com. August 7, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  26. ^ "Nippon Professional Baseball on pause for Olympics". Abington Journal. August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  27. ^ "Japan name their Olympic Baseball squad for Tokyo 2020".
  28. ^ "USA Olympic baseball roster: Every player on the 2021 team in Tokyo".
  29. ^ "Japan beats USA for WBC title: Best moments and takeaways from thrilling finale". March 22, 2023.
  30. ^ "World Baseball Classic Team Roster". usabaseball.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  31. ^ "The United States in the WBSC Ranking (Men's baseball)". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  32. ^ "Varitek headed to the Olympics". Orlando Sentinel. July 15, 1992. p. C-1. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Barcelona 1992 Baseball Men Results". olympics.com. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  34. ^ Stinson, Thomas (July 11, 1992). "Garciaparra safe, Varitek out as U.S. makes final cuts". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. D4. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "Fraser makes final cuts on U.S. baseball team". South Bend Tribune. South Bend, Indiana. AP. July 11, 1992. p. C3. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Caple, Jim (August 3, 1996). "United States' bronze should hasten pros' arrival". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. p. 4B. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "Atlanta 1996 Baseball Men Results". Olympics.com. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  38. ^ "The Olympic Team No Dream". CBSNews.com. Associated Press. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  39. ^ "Sydney 2000 Baseball Men Results". Olympics.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  40. ^ Rhim, Kris; Speier, Alex (July 2, 2021). "Red Sox minor-leaguers Triston Casas, Jack Lopez named to US baseball team for Olympics". Boston.com. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  41. ^ 2010 CNT roster announced Archived November 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, USABaseball.com, July 11, 2010
[edit]
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