U.S. baseball team wins, will play Japan for the gold medal.
Eddy Alvarez became only the third American to earn medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics when the United States beat defending champion South Korea 7-2 Thursday night to gain a berth into this weekend’s gold medal game against host Japan.
The former U.S. speedskater-turned-infielder wept in the dugout after the final out as teammates patted him on the back and offered handshakes and hugs.
After earning a silver in 2014 at Sochi as part of the U.S. four-man short track team, he’ll get at least a silver in baseball. The other Americans with summer and winter medals are Eddie Eagen (boxing in 1920, bobsled in 1932) and Lauryn Williams (track and field in 2004 and 2012, bobsled in 2014).
Jack López drove in two runs with RBI singles, Jamie Westbrook hit a solo homer, and Tyler Austin hit a two-run single as the U.S. built a 7-1 lead with a five-run sixth. Alvarez and Mark Kolozsvary also drove in runs.
The U.S. team, seeking its second gold medal and first since 2000, improved to 4-1 and will play Japan (5-0) on Saturday night.
Japan, which stopped its major league season to make top players available for the Olympics, defeated the U.S. 7-6 in 10 innings on Monday in the doubleelimination second round.
South Korea (3-3) faces the Dominican Republic (23) for the bronze.
A 31-year-old infielder with the Miami Marlins’ Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Alvarez and his team came up 0.271 seconds short of the Russians in the 5,000-meter relay in 2014. He’s hoping this time to finish the job against another host nation.
Eagen earned a gold in light heavyweight boxing in 1920 and a gold in the four-man bobsled in 1932. Williams won silver in the 100-meter sprint in 2004, gold in the 400 relay in 2012 despite not running in the final and a silver in the twowoman bobsled in 2014.
Ryder Ryan (1-0), a 26-year-old right-hander at Texas’ Triple-A Round Rock, pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings for the Americans’ second win over South Korea following a 4-2 victory in the first round.
U.S. starter Joe Ryan, a 25-year-old right-hander obtained
by the Twins in last month’s trade that sent Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay, allowed four hits in 4 1/3 innings and left with a 2-1 lead.