2000 Olympics

The Baseball Competition at the 2000 Olympics was held in Sydney, Australia. The competition was held from September 17 to September 27 at the baseball stadiums of Blacktown Olympic Park and Sydney Olympic Park. The competition was won by the United States.

Competing Nations

Further information: 2000 Olympics (Qualification) and 2000 Olympics (Rosters)

Nation	Qualification
Australia	Automatic qualifier as host nation of the Olympics
Cuba	First place at the Pan American Games
Italy	Second place at European Championships
Japan	Second place at Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament
Netherlands	First place at European Championships
South Africa	Winner a playoff between the African Champion and Oceania Champion (Guam)
South Korea	First place at Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament
United States	Second place at the Pan American Games

Competition Format and Rules

The Olympic baseball tournament consists of an one-game round-robin preliminary round. The top four teams advance to the medals round. The first medal round consists of two single game semifinals between the first and fourth place teams and the second and third place teams. The semifinal losers then play a bronze medal game, with the winner earning the medal and the loser receiving 4th place. The semifinal winners play in the final, which awards the winner a gold medal and the loser a silver medal.

Rosters are limited to 24 players per team. Aluminum bats are allowed. There is also a mercy rule that is invoked if a team is winning by 10 or more runs after 7 innings (or 6 1/2 innings if the home team is leading).

Final Ranking

Rank	Nation
Gold	United States
Silver	Cuba
Bronze	South Korea
4th	Japan
5th	Netherlands
6th	Italy
7th	Australia
8th	South Africa

Preliminary Round Results

Further Information: 2000 Olympics (Preliminary Round Results)

September 17

11:30 AM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	0	4
Cuba	3	0	1	5	6	1	x	-	-	16	18	1

12:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	R	H	E
Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	7	1
United States	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	10	3

6:30 PM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
South Korea	0	1	2	1	0	0	2	4	0	10	11	0
Italy	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	2

7:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Netherlands	0	0	4	0	0	2	0	0	0	6	11	2
Australia	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	4	8	2

September 18

11:30 AM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Italy	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	6	1
Cuba	2	1	2	2	6	0	0	0	x	13	17	2

12:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Australia	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	5	11	0
South Korea	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	7	0

6:30 PM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
South Africa	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	1	3	1
United States	2	5	0	3	0	1	x	-	-	11	9	1

7:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Netherlands	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	4	2
Japan	1	3	0	3	0	0	2	1	x	10	17	0

September 19

11:30 AM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Italy	2	0	0	7	0	4	0	-	-	13	10	0
South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	8	0

12:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Japan	1	0	0	0	2	4	0	0	0	7	10	1
Australia	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	0

6:30 PM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
United States	2	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	6	8	0
Netherlands	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	8	0

7:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cuba	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	1	0	6	9	1
South Korea	2	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	5	10	1

September 20

11:30 AM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Japan	0	1	0	1	2	0	0	1	1	6	12	2
Italy	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	3

12:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cuba	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	7	1
Netherlands	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	x	4	5	2

6:30 PM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Australia	1	0	0	0	0	4	0	4	1	10	10	2
South Africa	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	4	8	0

7:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
South Korea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	2
United States	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	x	4	8	0

September 22

11:30 AM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1
Cuba	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	x	1	9	0

12:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
South Korea	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	x	2	5	0

6:30 PM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Japan	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	1	8	14	0
South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0

7:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Italy	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	2
United States	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	x	4	6	1

September 23

11:30 AM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	3	8	3
Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	2	6	0

12:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
South Korea	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	7	9	0
Japan	2	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	1	6	14	2

6:30 PM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	R	H	E
Italy	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	1	2	0	0	2	8	16	2
Australia	0	0	0	0	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	7	10	2

7:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
United States	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	7	2
Cuba	4	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	x	6	10	0

September 24

11:30 AM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Netherlands	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	7	1
Italy	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	5	1

12:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
South Africa	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	-	3	3	1
South Korea	0	1	0	6	2	0	1	3		13	15	2

6:30 PM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cuba	0	1	1	0	3	1	0	0	0	6	13	1
Japan	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	8	0

7:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
United States	0	4	1	5	0	1	1	-	-	12	14	0
Australia	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	-	-	1	7	2

Preliminary Round Standings

Nation	Pld	W	L	Pct	RS	RA
Cuba	7	6	1	0.857	49	17
United States	7	6	1	0.857	49	13
South Korea	7	4	3	0.571	43	23
Japan	7	4	3	0.571	42	22
Netherlands	7	3	4	0.428	17	29
Australia	7	2	5	0.285	30	36
Italy	7	2	5	0.285	33	43
South Africa	7	1	6	0.142	11	73

• Cuba was ranked higher than the United States due to head-to-head record. South Korea was ranked higher than Japan due to head-to-head record.

Final Round Results

Further Information: 2000 Olympics (Final Round Results)

Semifinals

September 26, 12:30 PM at Blacktown Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	1
Cuba	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	x	3	9	1

September 26, 7:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
South Korea	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	0
United States	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	3	6	1

Bronze Medal Game

September 27, 12:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
South Korea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	5	1
Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	x	3	6	0

Gold Medal Game

September 27, 7:30 PM at Sydney Olympic Park

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
United States	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	4	9	0
Cuba	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0

Further Reading

• Adam McCalvy: "Baseball's 'Miracle on Grass': An oral history", mlb.com, February 20, 2020. [1]