Japan Blanks Us To Win Historic Baseball Gold
At the Tokyo Olympics, a Japan team packed with top players from the national professional leagues defeated the United States to win the baseball gold medal.
Japan opened the scoring with a homer from 21-year-old slugger Murakami Munetaka in the third inning. Japan's five pitchers, including starter Morishita Masato, worked in relays to hold the Americans scoreless. Japan won 2 to 0.
The US team is mostly made up of minor leaguers and veterans who once played in the major leagues.
It's the first time Japan has come out on top since baseball was first included officially in 1992. The team finishes the tournament unbeaten.
In the bronze medal game earlier on Saturday, the Dominican Republic defeated South Korea, technically the defending champion, by 10 runs to 6.
Tokyo 2020 was baseball's first Olympic appearance since 2008, but it's not included at Paris 2024.