US stun Cuba for baseball gold

John Cotton is hit by pitch from Cuba's Maels Rodriguev

The United States beat arch-rivals Cuba 4-0 to become surprise Olympic baseball champions on Wednesday.

Overpowering pitching by US starter Ben Sheets, who restricted the Cubans to three hits, and questionable tactics by Cuban manager Servio Borges tipped the balance in favour of the underdog Americans.

The victory was only the fourth for a US team against 25 defeats to Cuba in official championship events.

The US triumph came in the first Olympics to allow professional players to compete in baseball, although the American team comprised minor leaguers and former major league players.

Backfired

Borges elected to use a committee approach to pitching in the final, starting reliever Pedro Luis Lazo, and it backfired as the US scored one in the first and three in the fifth inning off three Cuban pitchers.

Cuba won the first two official Olympic baseball tournaments, in Barcelona and Atlanta, and carried an unblemished 18-0 record into the Sydney tournament.

Jubilant Korea celebrate their bronze

Their perfect record was ruined earlier in the round-robin phase when they were upset by the Netherlands, and their title was taken away by Sheets, who got offensive support from two of the more veterans, Ernie Young and Pat Borders.

Korea bronze

South Korea won the bronze medal earlier on Wednesday, defeating their Asian rivals Japan 3-1.

South Korea's Lee Seung-yop broke up a pitchers' battle with a double in the bottom of the eighth.

It was South Korea's first medal in the sport since baseball became an Olympic event at the Barcelona Games. Japan won a bronze in 1992 and a silver four years ago in Atlanta.

Lee slammed a fastball from Japanese starter Daisuke Matsuzaka to the fence in left field, driving in two runs. Kim Dong-joo then slapped a single to right field to bring Lee home.

South Korea's Koo Dae-sung went the distance, striking out 11 and giving up five hits for the win. Matsuzaka also went nine innings, giving up six hits and striking out 10.