Baseball was absent from the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, and that does not mean it won’t be back for 2028 in Los Angeles. Baseball was not among the 44 sports in the 2024 Summer Games because the International Olympic Committee decided in December 2020 and voted over skateboarding, surfing, and breakdancing to have the sport not be included.
Baseball first appeared in the 1900 Olympics in Paris, France when the sport had a series of exhibition games.
Baseball did not return to the Summer Games until the 1912 Stockholm Games, when it was a demonstration sport, with the United States and Sweden playing in a two-game exhibition series.
The United States won two games over Sweden in the exhibition series and won 13-3 in the first game and 6-3.
Olympian, multisport-athlete, and major leaguer Jim Thorpe played in the second game in right field of the 1912 exhibition series after winning two gold medals in the classic pentathlon and the decathlon at the 1912 Summer Games.
After 1912, Baseball only appeared in the Olympics with a series of exhibition games in 1924, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, and 1968, before the IOC voted the sport to return for the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
When Baseball was a demonstration sport in 1984 and 1988, recent Major League Baseball Draft picks that were not on the 40-man roster participated in the Summer Games, while other countries had amateur players.
Eight teams participated in the Olympics from 1984 until 2008.
Baseball was absent from the 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and returned to the Olympics in the 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021, under the World Baseball Softball Confederation, before its original federation became the International Baseball Federation.
World Baseball Network will share a recap of past gold medal games, including medal placements in baseball at the Olympics in 1984 and 1988, when the sport was a demonstration sport in Los Angeles and Seoul prior to the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, the first year it was considered a medal sport.
1984 Los Angeles:
G: United States
S: Japan
B: Chinese Taipei
Dodger Stadium hosted baseball for the 1984 Olympics, and it was in its 22nd season as a major league facility for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The United States was the host nation and automatically participated in Los Angeles. Canada and Japan were both invited to Los Angeles. Nicaragua won the silver medal at the 1983 Pan American Games to qualify for the 1984 Summer Games, South Korea won the 1982 Amateur World Series, Chinese Taipei won the 1983 Asian Baseball Championship, Italy won the 1983 European Baseball Championship, and the Dominican Republic replaced Cuba due to financial and political reasons for participating in Los Angeles.
The United States roster featured notable major leaguers such as Mark McGuire, Will Clark, B.J. Surhoff, and Hall-of-Famer Barry Larkin in the 1984 Olympics.
The United States lost 6-3 to Japan in the gold medal game in Chavez Ravine in front of 55,235 fans.
United States infielder Cory Snyder hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to cut the lead to three runs before Japan recorded the final out of the game to secure the gold.
1988 Seoul:
G: United States
S: Japan
B: Puerto Rico
Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, is home to the Korea Baseball Organization franchises, the Doosan Bears, and LG Twins, and hosted baseball during the 1988 Summer Games.
Host nation South Korea participated in the 1988 Olympics along with Canada, finishing in fourth place at the 1987 Pan American Games, Japan qualifying due to winning the gold medal in 1984, the Netherlands winning the gold medal at the 1987 European Baseball Championship, Puerto Rico winning the bronze medal at the 1987 Pan American Games, Chinese Taipei winning the gold medal at the 1987 Asian Baseball Championship and the United States winning silver in 1984.
The United States roster featured big leaguers such as Robin Ventura, Jim Abbott, and Tino Martinez.
Abbott threw a complete game against the Japan offense in the gold medal game, and Martinez hit two home runs and had four RBIs in their 5-3 win to win their first gold medal.
1992 Barcelona:
G: Cuba
S: Chinese Taipei
B: Japan
Estadi La Feixa Llarga in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Camp Municipal de Beisbol de Viladecans in Viladecans were the two venues that hosted baseball at the 1992 Summer Games.
Host nation Spain, Chinese Taipei winning the silver medal at the 1991 Asian Baseball Championship, Japan winning the gold medal at the 1991 Asian Baseball Championship, Cuba winning the gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games, Italy winning the gold at the European Baseball Championship, the United States winning the bronze medal at the 1991 Pan American Games, and the Dominican Republic ending up in fourth place at the 1991 Pan American Games to qualify for Barcelona.
Cuba went 7-0 at the 1992 Olympics with a key part of talent from their island, such as Antonio Pacheco, Omar Linares, German Mesa, Orestes Kindelan, Orlando ‘El Duque” Hernandez, and Victor Mesa shining on the international stage.
Cuba won the gold medal game 11-1 at Estadi La Feixa Llarga over Chinese Taipei to secure its first Olympic medal.
Cuba had 18 hits offensively in the gold medal game against the Chinese Taipei pitching staff.
Jason Giambi, Nomar Garciaparra, and Jason Varitek played for the United States under former Florida State University Head Coach Ron Fraser at the 1992 Summer Games.
1996 Atlanta:
G: Cuba
S: Japan
B: United States
The former home of the Atlanta Braves, Fulton County Stadium, in its final year before the organization moved across the street to Turner Field for the 1997 MLB season, hosted the 1996 Olympics.
Host nation the United States, Japan winning the gold at the 1995 Asian Baseball Championship, South Korea winning the silver medal at the 1995 Asian Baseball Championship, the Netherlands winning the gold medal at the 1995 European Baseball Championship, Italy won the silver medal at the 1995 European Baseball Championship, Cuba won the gold at the 1995 Pan American Games, Nicaragua won the silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games, and Australia secured a gold medal at the Oceania Baseball Championship and won the 1995 Africa Baseball Championship over South Africa to secure a spot at the 1996 Summer Games.
Cuba won their second Olympic gold medal by beating Japan 13-9 at Fulton County Stadium.
Cuban starting pitcher Omar Luis Martinex threw 4.2 innings, allowing six earned runs, five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts before closer Pedro Lazo entered the game to seal their second gold medal.
Lazo chucked 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs, four hits, three walks, and striking out seven batters to win the gold.
Linares hit a two-run home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the first inning, scoring right fielder Luis Ulacia Alvarez, and a two-run home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring Alvarez.
Kindelan rocked a solo home run over the left field wall in the bottom of the first inning.
Alvarez smacked a two-run home run over the right field fence in the bottom of the second inning, scoring Gonzalez.
Cuba also scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, with two solo home runs from left fielder Miguel Caldes Luis and shortstop Eduardo Paret Perez, both of which went over the left field fence.
Cuba’s home run outburst continued at the bottom of the seventh inning, with Pacheco drilling a solo home run over the right field wall.
Lazo got Japan pinch hitter Takao Kuwamoto to fly out to Cuba center fielder Jose Antonio Estrada Gonzalez for the final out of the game to win their second gold medal at the Summer Games.
The Japan pitching staff threw eight innings and allowed 13 earned runs, 14 hits, threw walks, and 13 strikeouts in the gold medal game at the 1996 Olympics.
The United States roster for the 1996 Games included major league notables R.A. Dickey, Jacque Jones, Troy Glaus, Jeff Weaver, Mark Kotsay, and A.J. Hinch.
2000 Sydney:
G: United States
S: Cuba
B: South Korea
The 2000 Sydney Olympics for baseball were played at Sydney Baseball Stadium and Blacktown Olympic Park in Australia.
Australia, the host nation, and South Africa won gold at the 1999 All-Africa Games and beat Guam in the Africa Champion vs. Oceania Champion playoff; South Korea won gold at the 1999 Asian Baseball Championship; Italy won silver at the 1999 European Baseball Championship, Japan won silver at the 1999 Asian Baseball Championship, the Netherlands won the gold at the 1999 European Baseball Championship, the United States won silver at the 1999 Pan American Games, and Cuba won gold at the 1999 Pan American Games to qualify for the 2000 Summer Games.
The United States won 4-0 over Cuba in the gold medal game at Sydney Baseball Stadium in front of 14,107 fans.
United States starting pitcher Ben Sheets threw a complete game shutout while dialing nine innings, allowing three hits, no walks, and striking out five in his performance over the mighty Cuban offense.
United States catcher Pat Borders rocked an RBI double to right-center field, scoring Doug Mientkiewicz to extend the lead to 2-0.
A few batters later, Cuba manager Higinio Vélez called upon relief pitcher Maels Rodriguez to replace Jose Ibar.
Ibar threw 3.1 innings, allowing three earned runs, two hits, two walks, and struck out three while facing 14 batters
Notable major leaguers who were on the United States’s 2000 roster were Ben Sheets, Ernie Young, Roy Oswalt, and Doug Mientkiewicz.
The United States was managed by two-time World Series manager champion Tommy Lasorda at the 2000 Olympics.
Lasorda and Jim Leyland are the only MLB managers to win a World Series and an international tournament in baseball history. Leyland accomplished that feat at the 2017 World Baseball Classic by managing the United States to their first gold medal and beating Puerto Rico 8-0 at Dodger Stadium.
Photo Credit: USA’s Triston Casas (L) gestures in celebration to his three run home run as Japan’s first baseman Hideto Asamura (R) looks on during the fifth inning of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo by KAZUHIRO FUJIHARA / AFP) (Photo by KAZUHIRO FUJIHARA/AFP via Getty Images)
