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Japan defeated the United States in walk-off fashion in the Tokyo Olympics men's baseball knockout stage Monday, sealing a 7-6 win in 10 innings.
The host country advanced to the semifinal to face South Korea, which easily defeated Israel for its spot in the next round.
The double-elimination tournament will give United States a chance to play for medals through the repechage bracket, but it will be a tougher path to gold.
Monday Results
Japan def. United States, 7-6 (10 innings)
South Korea def. Israel, 11-1
Scores and schedule available at Olympics.com.
Monday Recap
The two favorites of the tournament finally came together Monday, and they did not disappoint, with USA and Japan needing extra innings to settle things.
Down 6-5 in the ninth inning, Japan's Yuki Yanagita tied the game in the ninth inning with an RBI groundout against Scott McGough.
Two batters start on base in extra innings in the Olympics, but the United States was unable to score in the top of the 10th. Japan didn't have the same problems, butting over the runners to start the inning before Takuya Kai hit a long single off Edwin Jackson to give the home team the walk-off win.
The United States had seemingly put itself in position to win thanks to a three-run home run by Boston Red Sox prospect Triston Casas:
It came after the Americans chased former MLB starter Masahiro Tanaka from the game. The former New York Yankees star had six strikeouts but allowed three runs in just 3.2 innings.
Veteran major leaguer Todd Frazier had one of the key hits early to keep Team USA alive:
The United States eventually built a 6-3 lead after Casas' homer, but Japan fought back with two runs in the fifth before tying it up in the ninth.
Japan is now one win away from the gold-medal game, while Team USA needs two more wins to get there and no margin for error. They will face the winner of Israel and the Dominican Republican in the next game, and another loss will remove any chance at a gold medal.
South Korea is in good position to medal after an easy 11-1 victory over Israel in the other Round 2 matchup.
Minwoo Kim allowed just two hits in 4.1 innings, while the only run Israel scored came on a bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning. Former MLB players Ian Kinsler and Danny Valencia were held hitless at the top of the order for Israel.
South Korea had no such problems at the plate with 11 runs, including a seven-run fifth inning that led to the rout. Designated hitter Baekho Kang went 4-for-4 with two RBI, while Ji Hwan Oh hit one of the team's two home runs in the win.
The win clinches at least a trip to the bronze-medal game for South Korea, but the squad likely has its eyes on gold heading into the semifinals against Japan.
USA Baseball announced its roster for the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo on Friday, and it features several notable former Major League players.
Among the biggest names on the team are third baseman Todd Frazier and pitchers Edwin Jackson, Scott Kazmir and David Robertson:
Team USA qualified for the Olympics last month with a 4-2 victory over Venezuela, giving the United States a perfect 4-0 record in the Americas Qualifier.
Team USA is made up primarily of veteran free agents and minor league players. Frazier was part of the former group before he signed with the Sussex County Miners of the Frontier League last month.
The 35-year-old Frazier spent 11 seasons as an MLB player from 2011-21 with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 1,244 regular-season games, the two-time All-Star hit .241 with 218 home runs and 640 RBI. His best season came in 2016 with the White Sox when he set career highs with 40 home runs and 98 RBI.
Frazier did appear in 13 games for the Pirates earlier this season, hitting just .086 with four RBI.
The 37-year-old Jackson is a free agent who is best known for a nomadic MLB career that saw him play for a record 14 different teams from 2003-19.
Jackson appeared in 412 games and made 318 starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.
He went 107-133 with a 4.78 ERA, earning an All-Star nod with the Tigers in 2009, throwing a no-hitter for the Diamondbacks in 2010 and winning a World Series with the Cardinals in 2011.
The 37-year-old Kazmir is a minor leaguer in the San Francisco Giants organization after playing for seven different teams in 13 Major League seasons.
Kazmir was named an All-Star twice with the Rays and once with the A's in 2014. He also pitched for the Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland, the Houston Astros, Dodgers and Giants.
The lefty is 108-97 with a 4.02 ERA in his career, and he appeared in three games for the Giants earlier this season after having not pitched in the majors since 2016.
Robertson, 36, is perhaps the top candidate to serve as Team USA's closer after an excellent MLB career as a reliever.
Now a free agent, Robertson spent 12 seasons in the MLB with the Yankees, White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies from 2008-19.
Robertson was an All-Star with the Yankees in 20011 when he posted a 1.08 ERA as a setup man, and he totaled 110 saves over a three-season span from 2014-16 with the Yanks and White Sox.
He also led the Yankees to a World Series title in 2009 and finished an impressive 11th in the American League Cy Young voting that year.
Overall, Robertson is 53-33 with a 2.90 ERA and 137 saves as an MLB player.
Other notable players on the Team USA roster include former Yankees first baseman and outfielder Tyler Austin, former Blue Jays outfielder-turned-pitcher Anthony Gose and 22-year-old Rays pitching prospect Shane Baz, who boasts a 2.12 ERA and has struck out 69 batters in 46.2 innings over 10 minor-league starts this season.
Team USA is managed by Mike Scioscia, who managed the Angels from 2000-18, going 1,650-1,428 and winning the World Series in 2002.
This year marks the return of baseball to the Olympic program after it wasn't included in 2012 or 2016. At the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, Team USA beat Japan to win bronze in the competition.
Baseball has been contested at the Olympics five times, and while the United States has the second-most medals overall with three, its only gold medal was won in 2000.
Team USA's first game of the Tokyo Olympics will be played on July 30 against Israel.
