Team USA earns baseball silver, comes up short in 2-0 loss in gold medal game vs. Japan

Dave Clark
Cincinnati Enquirer
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Team USA earned a silver medal in baseball with Saturday's 2-0 loss in the gold-medal game against Japan. It was the U.S. baseball team's fourth appearance in the gold-medal game in Olympic history.

Infielder Todd Frazier #25 of Team United States reacts after striking out in the sixth inning against Team Japan during the gold medal game between Team United States and Team Japan on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium on August 07, 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.

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One big reason Team USA reach the gold-medal game was a 12-pitch at-bat by former Cincinnati Reds fan favorite Todd Frazier that resulted in a base on balls to lead off the bottom of the 6th inning against South Korea, jump-starting a five-run inning that gave Team USA breathing room it didn't have leading 2-1 when the inning started.

Reds' minor-league catcher Mark Kolozsvary drove in Frazier with a single to left as part of the rally, and Kolozsvary scored on Eddy Alvarez's groundout.

Frazier also doubled in the first. Kolozsvary went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored.

Thursday's 7-2 win brought Kolozsvary, Frazier and Team USA to the gold-medal game against Japan, the team that handed it a 7-6 loss earlier in the week to send Team USA into the elimination bracket.

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