page_title: United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics
section_title: Baseball
hierarchical_section_title: United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics / Baseball
caption_attribution_description: Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics - China vs USA
context_page_description: The United States, represented by the United States Olympic Committee, competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. U.S. athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which was boycotted by the US team and many others in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The USOC sent a total of 588 athletes to Beijing, and competed in all Olympic sports except handball.
  The USOC selected San Jose State University in San Jose, California, as the primary processing center for all Team USA members headed for Beijing 2008. They flew into San Jose via San Jose International Airport or San Francisco International Airport for at least two days of document checks, health examinations, cultural briefings, portrait sittings, uniform fittings, and last-minute workout sessions.
  The U.S. did not win the most gold medals for the first time in a Summer Games since 1992, with China being the country that won the most golds. The United States never led the medal table during the games.
context_section_description: The United States earned a qualification spot in baseball by placing in the top two at the 2006 Americas Olympic Qualifying Event. This marked the return of the United States national baseball team to the Olympics after not qualifying in 2004; the United States had appeared in all three of the official baseball tournaments, and nearly all of the exhibition and demonstration events, before then. The American team sought its second gold medal in the sport, but finished winning the bronze.
  Baseball was open only to male amateurs in 1992 and 1996. As a result, the Americans and other nations where professional baseball is developed relied on collegiate players, while Cubans used their most experienced veterans, who technically were considered amateurs as they nominally held other jobs, but in fact trained full-time. In 2000, pros were admitted, but the MLB refused to release its players in 2000, 2004, and 2008, and the situation changed only a little: the Cubans still used their best players, while the Americans started using minor leaguers. The IOC cited the absence of the best players as the main reason for baseball being dropped from the Olympic program.
  Summary
  Team roster and tournament statistics
  USA Baseball named its Olympic roster on July 16, 2008. The Olympic team was made up of professionals not on a Major League Baseball 25-man roster at the time of the tournament, because the MLB once again refused to take an Olympic break. The IOC named that as one of the reasons for removing baseball from the program.
  Manager: Davey Johnson, Bob Watson (General Manager)
  Coaches: Marcel Lachemann – Pitching Coach, Reggie Smith – Hitting Coach, Rick Eckstein – 3rd Base Coach, Dick Cooke – Auxiliary Coach, Rolando de Armas – Auxiliary Coach.
  Pos – Position; GP – Games Played; AB – At Bat; R – Runs; H – Hits; HR – Home Runs; RBI – Runs Batted In; TB – Total Bases; BB – Base On Balls; SO – Strikeouts; SB – Stolen Bases; OBP – On-Base Percentage; SLG – Slugging Percentage; BA – Batting Average
  GP – Games Played; GS – Games Started; W – Wins; L – Losses; SV – Saves; IP – Innings Pitched; H – Hits; R – Runs; HR – Home Runs; SO – Strikeouts; BB – Base On Balls; ERA – Earned Run Average
  Group stage
  All times are China Standard Time (UTC+8)
  Preliminary round summary
  The top four teams advanced to the semifinal round.
  Semifinal
  Bronze medal match
caption: China vs USA baseball on August 18, 2008.
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