Team USA has punched a ticket to the softball gold medal Game at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Team USA will face Japan on Tuesday for gold. The two teams also met on Sunday in their final group stage game. Team USA was a 2-1 winner to cap off a perfect 5-0 record during the group stage.
Baseball and softball are making their return to the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Both sports were added as a one-time return for the Tokyo Games. Baseball and softball won't be included in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but it's likely they'll return for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In Tokyo, the Olympic softball tournament kicked off on July 21 and will run through July 27. Team USA entered as favorites. The baseball competition takes place July 28 to Aug. 7.
The USA softball squad entered the tournament ranked as the world No. 1. Host country Japan is No. 2, while it's No. 3 Canada, No. 5 Mexico, No. 8 Australia and No. 9 Italy rounding out the remainder of the field. The Americans began their quest for the fourth Olympic gold medal in softball history with a win against Italy on July 21.
Team USA earned the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games when they fell to Japan, 3-1. Japan's upset put an end to the American dominance in softball. The U.S. softball team had outscored opponents 122-4 and won two gold medals during their 22-game Olympic winning streak (51-1 overall record in 2000, 57-2 overall record in 2008) prior to their loss in the final. In 2000, the U.S. defeated Japan in the gold medal game, 2-1.
The 15-woman roster will include two notable Olympic veterans in 38-year-old left-hander Cat Osterman (the last holdover from the 2004 gold medal team) and 35-year-old left-hander Monica Abbott (member of 2008 silver medal team). Osterman and Abbott combined to throw every pitch for the United States in the 2008 final.
Among the other headliners are 24-year-old Rachel Garcia, a right-hander from UCLA and 2018 and 2019's USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Garcia led the Bruins to the 2019 College World Series championship, where she was named the Most Outstanding Player.
The Olympic softball rules and regulations include 15-player rosters and seven-inning regulation games. There will be two first-base bags to avoid collisions (dedicated bag added inside the running lane) and a 20-second clock implemented between pitches. In softball, a designated player will be allowed and there will be extra-inning tiebreakers the (inning will start will a runner on second base) as well as a mercy rule (15 or more runs in the third inning, 10-plus in the fourth, seven-plus in the fifth and sixth). The official ball for the tournament will be the Mizuno 150, 12-inch softball.
Below you'll find the complete and TV listings. First and second place in the group will reach the final. Every game on NBCSN, CNBC and USA can be streamed via fuboTV (Try for free).
Standings: Group stage
| TEAM | W | L |
|---|---|---|
United States | 5 | 0 |
Japan | 4 | 1 |
Canada | 3 | 2 |
Mexico | 2 | 3 |
Australia | 1 | 4 |
Italy | 0 | 5 |
Group stage schedule
(All times U.S./Eastern)
Tuesday, July 20
Japan 8, Australia 1
United States 2, Italy 0
Wednesday, July 21
Canada 4, Mexico 0
United States 1, Canada 0
Japan 3, Mexico 2
Thursday, July 22
Australia 1, Italy 0
Friday, July 23
Canada 7, Australia 1
Saturday, July 24
United States 2, Mexico 0
Japan 5, Italy 0
United States 2, Australia 1
Sunday, July 25
Japan 1, Canada 0
Mexico 5, Italy 0
United States 2, Japan 1
Monday, July 26
Canada 8, Italy 1
Mexico 4, Australia 1
Bronze medal game
Tuesday, July 27
Mexico vs. Canada, 12 a.m. (CNBC)
Gold medal game
Tuesday, July 27
United States vs. Japan, 7 a.m. (NBCSN)