Day two of the knockout stage in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games baseball tournament features two quarterfinals. The winners will play again in the first semifinal, scheduled on Wednesday, 4 August.
No. 24 Israel at No. 3 Korea
Korea's starter will be Min-woo Kim. The 26-year old right-hander started 16 games for the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in the 2021 season.
Israel will hand the ball to Joey Wagman, who started the game against the United States on 30 July during group play, going three innings.
- Earlier these Olympic Games, Korea won 6-5 against Israel after 10 innings in group B. Israel's pitcher Jeremy Bleich hit two consecutive batters, the second with the bases
- Israel and Korea have met two times at major international tournaments (Olympic Games, World Cup, World Baseball Classic, Premier 12).
- loaded, which led to Park Kunwoo scoring the winning run for Korea.
- Korea lost 2-1 against Israel after 10 innings in the first round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (the game was played in Seoul). Israel won Pool A and went on to be eliminated in the second round, but Korea failed to progress past the first round.
- Both teams lost their other group match at Tokyo 2020, against United States. Israel lost 8-1 and Korea 4-2.
- Korea have won two medals in baseball at the Olympic Games: bronze in 2000 and gold in 2008 (the last time baseball was on the Olympic programme). Only Cuba (3) have won multiple Olympic gold medals in baseball.
- Israel eliminated Mexico in the first round thanks to a 12-5 victory on Sunday 1 August. This marked Israel's first-ever win in baseball at the Olympic Games.
- Korea progressed thanks to a 4-3 walk-off win against Dominican Republic on Sunday 1 August. Kim Hyunsoo delivered the game-winning single to right field in the bottom of the ninth.
- Israel's Ryan Lavarnway and Danny Valencia (both 2) are the only players to have hit multiple home runs at these Olympic Games.
- Lavarnway's batting average of .385 is the highest for an Israeli player at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
- Korea has hit three home runs so far in this Olympic tournament (by Kim Hyunsoo, Lee Jung-Hoo and Oh Ji Hwan)
- Kim Hyunsoo's batting average of .500 is also Korea's leading mark at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
- Korea's Lee Euilee had nine strikeouts in this tournament, joint-most alongside USA's Nick Martinez and Japan's Yamamoto Yoshinobu.
No. 4 United States at No. 1 Japan
Japan will start former Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Masahiro Tanaka. The 32-year old right-hander currently plays for the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
The US will turn to Shane Baz. The 22-year old right-hander, a former top-draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates, currently plays for the Tampa Bay Rays of MLB at the Double-A level.
- In their last meeting, USA defeated Japan, 4-3, in the Super Round of the 2019 WBSC Premier12, which Japan would go on to win.
- United States and Japan have met 25 times at major international tournaments (Olympic Games, World Cup, World Baseball Classic, Premier 12). USA have the slightest of edges: 13 wins to 12.
- United States have won eight of their last 10 major international tournament matches against Japan.
- At the Olympic Games, United States and Japan have met seven times. Four wins went to USA, three to Japan.
- United States won the last three Olympic Games encounters with Japan, including the bronze medal match at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (8-4).
- United States won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in 2000, defeating Cuba 4-0 in the final at the Sydney Baseball Stadium.
- As well as a gold in 2000, United States claimed Olympic bronze medals in 1996 and 2008. They finished fourth in 1992 and failed to qualify in 2004.
- Japan have not yet claimed a baseball gold medal at the Olympic Games. They took silver in 1996 and bronze in 1992 and 2004. Those three tournaments were all won by Cuba.
- Both United States and Japan won their groups at Tokyo 2020.
- United States beat Israel 8-1 and beat Republic of Korea 4-2 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, while Japan beat Dominican Republic 4-3 and Mexico 7-4.
- United States have hit three home runs at the 2020 Olympics (by Tyler Austin, Triston Casas, Nick Allen).
- Japan's Tetsuto Yamada (2) is the only player at the Tokyo Games with multiple stolen bases in the opening round.
- Austin (USA) and Yamada (JPN) have the most runs batted in during the 2020 Games opening round, on four each.
