YOKOHAMA, Japan -- Team USA (1-0) will face-off against Korea (1-0) for the top spot in Group B in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 baseball tournament on Saturday at Yokohama Baseball Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. JST/6 a.m. EDT/3 a.m. PDT and fans in the U.S. can watch it live on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), NBCOlympics.com, or the NBC Sports App.
Nick Martinez (0-0) will start on the mound for the U.S. and will square off against Youngpyo Ko (0-0).
Saturday will mark the seventh all-time meeting against the defending gold medalists in an Olympic Games and the stars and stripes hold a 5-1 head-to-head record in the previous six meetings. The two countries last met to open the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, a narrow 8-7 victory for Korea.
"First and foremost, Korea is a terrific baseball team. They are fundamentally sound. You have to play 27 outs against them,” said Team USA Manager Mike Scioscia. “You do not want to give them any more outs. We are going to have to play very, very good defense. Those guys have a lot of very talented left-handed hitters in particular on that club, so we are going to have to make some pitches."
The U.S. won its first game of Tokyo 2020 thanks to the big bat of Tyler Austin. Austin, who plays professionally in Yokohama, tagged three extra-base hits (a home run and two doubles) in the 8-1 win over Israel on Friday. Led by Joe Ryan, the red, white, and blue’s pitching staff combined to strike out 9 batters and gave up just one run on the night.
The winner of tonight’s game will win Group B and have a day off before playing the Group A winner on Monday, August 2, at 7 p.m. JST/6 a.m. EDT. The group’s runner-up will begin the knockout round in a non-elimination game on Sunday, August 1, at 7 p.m JST/6 a.m. EDT. Japan (1-0) currently leads Group A, followed by the Dominican Republic (1-1), and Mexico (0-1). Japan and Mexico face-off in the afternoon game today.
Three-time World Series champion Scioscia leads a roster laden with major league and international baseball experience. Of the 24 players on the roster, 19 have previously suited up for the red, white, and blue, and seven have won a gold medal. Additionally, 13 athletes have played in Major League Baseball (MLB), four have been named an MLB All-Star, two have won a World Series, and one was a member of Team USA when it won its first World Baseball Classic title in 2017.
Fans and media are encouraged to visit USABaseball.com and follow @USABaseball on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for the most up-to-date information for the team, including daily game notes, recaps, live scoring, and behind-the-scenes content.
Followers are encouraged to use USA Baseball's official hashtag, #ForGlory🇺🇸, during the event.
