The winter of 2002 was an exciting time for Yankees fans. In wake of a rare first-round exit, the Evil Empire struck again and brought in "Godzilla" himself.
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) With some names that seemed more relevant to Old-Timers Day than the present, the Dominican Republic overcame a bullpen meltdown to claim its first Olympic baseball medal. Juan Francisco homered in a four-run first inning, then hit a tiebreaking, two-run double off Seunghwan Oh of South Korea in a five-run eighth of a 10-6 victory Saturday that earned the baseball bronze.
Dominican Republic s Jose Bautista tosses his bat after hitting a game winning RBI single during a baseball game against Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. The Dominican Republic won 7-6. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) tokyo 2020 olympics
Dominicans oust Israel from baseball Today 02:15 am JST Today | 06:47 am JST YOKOHAMA
José Bautista had just gotten his first Olympic hit, extending the Dominican Republic s tournament with a walkoff single that capped a ninth-inning rally and eliminated surprising Israel.
Of course, that bat was going to get flipped.
“It s part of this New Age baseball thing that s happening,” the 40-year-old said after Tuesday night s 7-6 victory. “It started in winter ball a few years ago. It s just kind of giving a little bit of your own flavor to the game, a little bit of celebrating the excitement of getting a hit.”