1: 17 PM ET
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Associated Press
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Eddy Alvarez needed to be consoled — scolded, even — after his first silver medal.
“My coach had to bring us collectively and score us snap out of it,” Alvarez said. “He yelled at us. … He usually said, ‘, you’re silver medalists.’ And that’s when it vogue of hit me.”
The speedskater-grew to turn out to be-second baseman wished no such pep talk for silver No. 2.
Alvarez and the U.S. baseball team permitted their Olympic silver medals after shedding the championship sport 2-0 in opposition to Japan on Saturday night, capping a outstanding trail for the 31-One year-inclined Miami Marlins minor leaguer.
A silver medalist in 2014 at Sochi as share of the U.S. four-man short music speedskating team, Alvarez grew to turn out to be to baseball later that One year — a path that come what may led him aid to the Games and one other silver medal.
“Feels take care of déjà vu,” Alvarez said. “It’s just appropriate as heavy as the masses of 1. Identical colour, slight masses of create, however or no longer it is still a unparalleled ride, a unparalleled skills.”
The U.S. leadoff hitter became as soon as assured his second medal when the Americans beat South Korea in the semifinals Thursday, turning into just appropriate the third American and sixth Olympian with medals from the Winter and Summer Games.
Alvarez joined Eddie Eagen (boxing in 1920, bobsled in 1932) and Lauryn Williams (music and enviornment in 2004 and 2012, bobsled in 2014) as the finest Americans with medals from Summer and Winter Games.
The others are Norway’s Jacob Tullin Thams (ski jumping in 1924 and yachting in 1936), East Germany/Germany’s Christa Luding-Rothenburger (tempo skating in 1984, ’88 and ’92 and scurry cycling in 1988) and Canada’s Clara Hughes (cycling in 1996 and tempo skating in 2002, ’06 and ’10).
“It’s powerful to characterize it, because or no longer it is take care of bittersweet, nonetheless on the same time, or no longer it is an wonderful feeling,” Alvarez said.
“I had no thought this is where I became as soon as going to pause up. Once I retired from skating, never in my wildest needs would I ever mediate I’d bear the likelihood to return aid to the Olympics.”
Alvarez spent seven seasons in the minor leagues before at closing score a seek on the majors. He debuted on Aug. 5, 2020, after a COVID-19 outbreak ravaged the Marlins’ roster, and hit .189 in 12 games.
The otherwise anonymous Triple-A infielder has been a marquee title at these Olympics. He carried the American flag along side basketball participant Sue Chook on the hole ceremony, and he says masses of athletes bear approached him in the village, calling him “the flag bearer man.”
He backed up the hype as soon as the games started. He entered the gold medal sport hitting .350 with three RBI, then had one in every of the Americans’ six hits in the last, a night they couldn’t resolve a quintet of pros from Japan’s Nippon Knowledgeable Baseball.
Alvarez became as soon as the first U.S. participant to salvage his medal — teammate Eric Filia draped it around his neck. He lingered on the realm after as Crew Japan soaked in its second.
“A slight bit nostalgia,” Alvarez said. “I know that feeling a little bit of bit. I know observing any individual bear a terrific time a victory of that magnitude is no longer if truth be told a terrific feeling, because you’ve got obtained to hear to any individual else’s anthem.
“It is a traumatic pill to swallow whilst you’re so shut to winning and in addition you drop short. But on the same time or no longer it is a vogue of things that I know will hit me at closing, of how unparalleled and blessed I am to be a share of this.”
