Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held on two separate diamonds within the Helliniko Olympic Complex, from 15 to 25 August. For the second time in Olympic competition, professional baseball players were eligible to participate, though no active players from Major League Baseball were available.
The competition consisted of a preliminary round with each team playing all the other teams once, for a total of seven games. The top four teams at the end of this round advanced to the medals round. The medals round consisted of two semifinal games with the winners advancing to the gold medal game. The losing teams of the semifinals would play in the bronze medal game.
Despite being the defending gold medalists, the United States did not make it to Athens after losing a qualifying game to Mexico, 1–0. The Americas Tournament, which decided which two teams from North America, South America and the Caribbean went to Athens, was single-elimination, when almost all other baseball tournaments are double-elimination. Canada eventually defeated Mexico to advance to the Olympics. The qualifying rounds were also scheduled in such a way that the United States could not even use minor-leaguers and had to rely on collegians instead.[citation needed] Many American ballplayers made it to Athens anyway, as members of the nascent Greek team, which featured only one player actually born in Greece.[citation needed]
Others took issue with the fact that three of the eight slots in the Olympics (including the hosts) were European, while the Americas and Asia (with much stronger baseball nations) got only two slots apiece.[citation needed] The absence of such teams as the USA, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and South Korea led to much media discussion.[citation needed]
The 2008 tournament changed the qualifying procedure; the United States qualified, as did Cuba and the host country, China.
The top four teams (Japan, Cuba, Canada and Australia) advanced to the semifinals. To determine the seed ranking of teams tied in the standings, the result of the two teams' game against each other was used. Japan therefore received first place due to the win over Cuba. In the semi-finals, Japan (#1) played Australia (#4) and Cuba (#2) played Canada (#3). The higher ranked team in each game was the home team.
WP:Peter Nyari (1–0) LP:Yang Chien-Fu (0–1) Home runs: ITA: M. Chiarini in 4th, 1 RBI; J. Buccheri in 6th, 1 RBI; C. Liverziani in 9th, 2 RBIs TPE: Peng C. M. in 7th, 1 RBI
WP:Ryan Rowland-Smith (2–0) LP:Sean Spencer (0–1) Home runs: GRE: Peter Maestrales in 2nd, 1 RBI; J. Kavourias in 8th, 1 RBI AUS: B. Roneberg in 3rd; P. Gonzalez in 3rd, 2 RBIs; G. Roneberg in 6th, 1 RBI; 1 RBI; B. Kingman in 7th, 3 RBIs
WP:Craig Lewis (1–0) LP:Calvin Maduro (0–2) Home runs: AUS: B. Roneberg in 1st, 2 RBIs; R. van Buizen in 3rd, 4 RBIs; G. Fingleson in 2nd, 3 RBIs; G. Williams in 6th, 2 RBIs NED: Yurendell DeCaster in 2nd, 1 RBI; R. Millard in 5th, 1 RBI
WP:Panagiotis Sikaras (1–0) LP:W. E. Lucena (0–1) Home runs: GRE: C. Bellinger in 6th, 1 RBI; N. Markakis in 7th, 3 RBIs; C. A. Harris in 9th, 1 RBI ITA: J. Ramos Gizzi in 2nd, 1 RBI
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