U.S. drops to 0-2 in Olympic baseball qualifying round

6 weeks before christmas and baseball is still on?

Wouldn't expect the USA to do well, seems like mostly young prospects.

It's always a bit hard for my Japanese friends and colleagues to comprehend, but the U.S. truly does not care at all about international baseball. The domestic pro MLB is everything. Professional players, their managers and their team owners have little interest in risking injury for international tournaments that do no matter. It's a very different attitude than Japanese players and fans have, where things like the World Baseball Classic are so beloved here.

How to be world champion :

1) Call your national championship "world series".

2) Invite one neighbouring country to join it to make it sound more international.

3) Don't care about the rest.

@Kuro: The name "World Series" was coined in the U.S. in 1903 after professional baseball had existed there since 1869. Pro baseball wasn't established in Japan until 1934 and wasn't popularized until after WWII. Rough Latino leagues were formed and disbanded frequently. Pro baseball didn't start in Korea until the 1980's.

Who else exactly do you think the Americans should've considered as contenders in 1903 when they named their championship the "World Series"?

Wouldn't expect the USA to do well, seems like mostly young prospects.

Japan All Star team lost to AAA USA farm team tonight 4-3. Was a close

game but the better team won. Pretty much sums up the level of play

in Japan, it is AAA level. If USA All Stars played, no contest. Like in

the WBC last time when the USA had some real stars on the team, not

like the team that beat Japan tonight filled with no names who do not

even play at the top level in the USA, none are on the 40 man roster for

any team in MLB.

@zurcronium

not sure what you mean. Japan has 2 WBC titles compared to USA's 1, despite USA using some of their best players and the event behind held on their home turf. I wouldn't say Japan are as good as the USA, but let's not exaggerate things. This tournament doesn't really mean anything for Japan, since they are obviously going to the Olympics either way.

Oh no, when it comes to the Japan national team ever win is a celebration. Tonights loss was a huge one for Japan, against a team of minor leaguers that lost to Korea already as well as other teams.

The United States stumbled for the second time in Olympic baseball qualifying, losing to South Korea 5-1 on Monday night in Tokyo.

The Americans dropped to 0-2 in the super round of the Premier12 tournament, which serves as Olympic qualifying. The record includes an 8-2 group stage loss on Nov. 3 against Mexico (2-0), which is carried over to the super round standings. The Mexicans opened the super round with a 2-0 win over Taiwan on Monday at Chiba City.

The wins in the WBC by Japan were against a USA team like the one tonight. Farm players no one has heard of at all. MLB has no real interest in international baseball. Only in WBC 2017 did MLB send some real starters to play and they won. Japan came in third. You clearly do not follow baseball closely or understand the sport. The USA team that won today are all nigun players in the USA. Not on top teams at all but yet they beat an all star team of the very best players from all Japanese teams 4-3.

Rugby, Japan is world level. Baseball, no. Hard to say otherwise after loss tonight to AAA level talent from the USA. There is a reason why only six players from Japan are in the MLB, which does not restrict foreign player like NPB does. Only six. The Dominican Republic had 102 on opening day 2019. Canada, that great baseball country, had six. The same as Japan. Maybe you get the picture now?

Japanese baseball is fun but it is no where near as good as the Japan sports press purports or many fans here want to believe.