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Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held on two separate diamonds within the Helliniko Olympic Complex, from August 15 to August 25. This was a male-only event.
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.
[edit] Medalists
[edit] Team squads
-
| Team |
Qualification criteria |
Appearance |
| Australia |
Winner of Oceania Champion vs Africa Champion (South Africa) |
3rd |
| Canada |
Second place at Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Panama |
1st |
| Chinese Taipei |
Second place at Asian Championship |
2nd |
| Cuba |
First place at Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Panama |
4th |
| Greece |
Automatic as host nation of the Olympics |
1st |
| Italy |
First place at European Olympic Qualification Tournament |
4th |
| Japan |
First place at Asian Championship |
4th |
| Netherlands |
Second place at European Olympic Qualification Tournament |
3rd |
[edit] Controversy
Despite being the "home of baseball" and 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. (The Mexicans didn't make it to the Olympics either; in the very next round, they were upset by Canada.) Ironically, many Americans wound up playing in Athens anyway, as members of the nascent Greek team.
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. The absence of such teams as the USA, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and South Korea led to disinterest in the Olympic tournament in those countries.
The 2008 tournament has changed the qualifying procedure; the United States has already qualified, as have Cuba and the host country China.
[edit] Bracket
[edit] Results
[edit] Preliminary round
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.
- August 15
- August 16
- August 17
- August 18
- August 20
WP: Peter Nyari (1-0) LP: Yang Chien-Fu (0-1)
HRs: 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
August 20—18:30–21:20 at Field 2
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
 Greece |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
14 |
0 |
 Australia |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
x |
11 |
10 |
0 |
WP: Ryan Rowland Smith (2-0) LP: Sean Spencer (0-1)
HRs: GRE – P. 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 |
August 20—11:30–14:04 at Field 1
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
 Canada |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
 Japan |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
x |
9 |
11 |
0 |
WP: Tsuyoshi Wada (1-0) LP: Mike Johnson (1-1)
HRs: JPN – Y. Takahashi in 1st, 2 RBIs; Y. Tani in 2nd, 1 RBI; K. Wada in 4th, 2 RBIs
August 20—19:30–22:05 at Field 1
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
 Netherlands |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
 Cuba |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
x |
9 |
12 |
0 |
WP: Adiel Palma (1-0) LP: Eelco Jansen (0-1)
HRs: NED – E. J. 'T Hoen in 8th, 1 RBI; Y. de Casterin 9th, 1 RBI |
- August 21
WP: Hiroki Kuroda (2-0) LP: Tsao Chin-Hui (0-1-1)
HRs: TPE – Chen C. F. in 3rd, 3 RBIs JPN – Y. Takahashi in 7th, 2 RBIs
WP: Craig Lewis (1-0) LP: Calvin Maduro (0-2)
HRs: 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 – Y. de Caster in 2nd, 1 RBI; R. Millard in 5th, 1 RBI |
August 21—11:30–14:28 at Field 1
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
| Cuba |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
10 |
0 |
| Canada |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
WP: Norberto Gonzalez (1-0) LP: Jason Dickson (1-1) SV: Pedro Luis Lazo (2S)
HRs: CUB – A. Scull in 2nd, 2 RBIs
August 21—19:30–22:38 at Field 1
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
| Greece |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
11 |
14 |
3 |
 Italy |
0 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
14 |
1 |
WP: Panagiotis Sikaras (1-0) LP: W. E. Lucena (0-1)
HRs: 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 |
- August 22
[edit] Semifinals
[edit] Bronze medal match
August 25—11:30–14:20 at Field 1
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
| Japan |
2 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
11 |
13 |
0 |
| Canada |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
WP: Tsuyoshi Wada (2-0) LP: Mike Johnson (1-2)
HRs: JPN – K. Jojima in 1st, 2 RBIs CAN – J. Ware in 5th, 1 RBI
August 25—20:00–23:14 at Field 1
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
| Cuba |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
13 |
1 |
| Australia |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
0 |
WP: Adiel Palma (3-0) LP: John Stephens (0-2) SV: Danny Betancourt (1-0-2)
HRs: CUB – F. Cepeda in 4th, 2 RBIs AUS – P. Gonzalez in 5th, 1 RBI
[edit] Final Standings
|
|
| 2004 Olympic Champions |
Cuba
Third title |
|
Chinese Taipei
