YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Speedskating silver medalist Eddy Alvarez put the U.S. ahead with the first of his two RBI doubles, and the United States beat Israel 8-1 in the Americans' Olympic opener on Friday night.
Tyler Austin hit a two-run homer, doubled twice and drove in three runs in his home ballpark.
Denied players on 40-man major league rosters, the U.S. started a mix of prospects unneeded by major league teams this summer and released players. Nine of the 10 starters totaled a career WAR of -1.0; the exception was Todd Frazier at 25.1.
Joe Ryan (1-0), a 25-year-old Triple-A right-hander acquired by Minnesota last week in the trade that sent Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay, relied on a 92 mph fastball. He allowed one run and five hits in six innings with three strikeouts.
Showing how far from the usual farm systems that Olympic baseball players come from, Israel brought in 42-year right-hander Shlomo Lipetz to relieve in the sixth inning. His day job is director of music programming at City Winery in New York.
Joey Wagman (0-1), a 30-year-old righty who has never pitched above Double-A, gave up three runs and four hits in three innings. Israel dropped to 0-2 in Group B of its Olympic baseball debut.
Alvarez, who earned a 2014 medal in short track speedskating, is now a Miami Marlins' Triple-A player and was a flag bearer during last week's opening ceremony. He looped a hanging curve off the end of his bat into short left field in the three-run third at empty Yokohama Stadium.
Austin, a former Yankee playing in his second season with the Central League's Yokohama DeNA BayStars, drove a high fastball on the next pitch over the right-center field wall for a 3-0 lead.
Danny Valencia, whose last big league season was 2018, drove in Israel's run when he lined an up fastball over the left-field wall leading off the fourth, cutting the lead to 3-1.
Frazier reached when Ian Kinsler bobbled his grounder in the sixth for an error and scored when Bubba Starling popped the ball into short left field and it hit off the glove of diving shortstop Scotty Burcham for an RBI single.
Alvarez and Austin hit consecutive RBI doubles in the seventh off Jonathan de Marte after center fielder Blake Gailen dropped Jamie Westbrook's leadoff fly ball for an error.
Starling added a run-scoring grounder in the eighth, and Boston prospect Triston Casas singled in a run in the ninth.
