Olympic baseball is back.
After being omitted from the 2012 and 2016 summer Olympics, baseball and softball both returned to the world's biggest sporting event this summer. In all, six teams vied for the baseball gold medal, and some of the usual suspects were in the field. The U.S., Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Israel and the Dominican Republic competed for the top spot on the podium.
Japan, the host country, has often been considered home to one of the best national teams in the world, but it is still searching for that first gold medal to hang. This year, it entered as a favorite, with South Korea (which is listed as Republic of Korea) also in the running to take the crown.
Olympic baseball got underway July 27. Here are the latest standings and more from group and knockout play:
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Olympic baseball standings
Group stage
Group A
| Position | Team | Games played | Wins | Losses | Games back |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2 | Dominican Republic | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Mexico | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Group B
| Position | Team | Games played | Wins | Losses | Games back |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2 | Republic of Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Israel | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Knockout stage
The knockout stage followed group play:
| Game No. | Date | Matchup | Start time (ET) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat., July 31 | Mexico vs. Israel | 11 p.m. | Israel 12, Mexico 5 |
| 2 | Sun., Aug. 1 | Dominican Republic vs. Republic of Korea | 6 a.m. | Korea 4, DR 3 |
| 3 | Sun., Aug. 1 | Israel vs. Republic of Korea | 11 p.m. | Korea 11, Israel 1 |
| 4 | Mon., Aug. 2 | United States vs. Japan | 6 a.m. | Japan 7, USA 6 (10) |
| 5 | Tue, Aug. 3 | Israel vs. Dominican Republic | 6 a.m. | DR 7, Israel 6 |
| 6 | Tue.., Aug. 3 | Dominican Republic vs. United States | 11 p.m. | USA 3, DR 1 |
| 7 | Wed., Aug. 4 | Japan vs. Republic of Korea | 6 a.m. | Japan 5, Korea 2 |
| 8 | Thu., Aug. 5 | United States vs. Republic of Korea | 6 a.m. | USA 7, Korea 2 |
| 9 | Fri., Aug. 6 | Bronze-medal game: DR vs. Rep. of Korea | 11 p.m. | DR 10, Korea 6 |
| 10 | Sat., Aug. 7 | Gold-medal game: USA vs. Japan | 6 a.m. | TBD |
Olympic 2021 baseball schedule
In all, 16 games will be played to determine the gold-medal winner in baseball, divided into group and knockout stages. To learn more about the Olympic tournament format for baseball, click here:
Group stage
| Date | Group | Matchup | Start time (ET) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, July 27 | A | Dominican Republic vs. Japan | 11 p.m. | Japan, 4-3 |
| Thursday, July 29 | B | Israel vs. Republic of Korea | 6 a.m. | Korea, 6-5 |
| Thursday, July 29 | A | Mexico vs. Dominican Republic | 11 p.m. | Dominican Republic, 1-0 |
| Friday, July 30 | B | United States vs. Israel | 6 a.m. | USA, 8-1 |
| Friday, July 30 | A | Japan vs. Mexico | 11 p.m. | Japan, 7-4 |
| Saturday, July 31 | B | Republic of Korea vs. United States | 6 a.m. | USA, 4-2 |
Knockout stage
| Game No. | Date | Matchup | Start time (ET) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday, July 31 | Mexico vs. Israel | 11 p.m. | Israel 12, Mexico 5 |
| 2 | Sunday, Aug. 1 | Dominican Republic vs. Republic of Korea | 6 a.m. | Korea 4, DR 3 |
| 3 | Sunday, Aug. 1 | Israel vs. Republic of Korea | 11 p.m. | Korea 11, Israel 1 |
| 4 | Monday, Aug. 2 | United States vs. Japan | 6 a.m. | Japan 7, USA 6 (10) |
| 5 | Tuesday, Aug. 3 | Israel vs. Dominican Republic | 6 a.m. | DR 7, Israel 6 |
| 6 | Tuesday, Aug. 3 | Dominican Republic vs. United States | 11 p.m. | USA 3, DR 1 |
| 7 | Wednesday, Aug. 4 | Japan vs. Republic of Korea | 6 a.m. | Japan 5, Korea 2 |
| 8 | Thursday, Aug. 5 | United States vs. Republic of Korea | 6 a.m. | USA 7, Korea 2 |
| 9 | Friday, Aug. 6 | Bronze-medal game: DR vs. Korea | 11 p.m. | DR 10, Korea 6 |
| 10 | Saturday, Aug. 7 | Gold-medal game: USA vs. Japan | 6 a.m. | TBD |