Baseball at the 1964 Summer Olympics was a demonstration sport at the Tokyo games. It would become an official sport 28 years later at the 1992 Summer Olympics. It was the fifth time a baseball exhibition was held at the Olympics. The collegiate United States team played two games against two different Samurai Japan lineups – one a collegiate team, the other made up of adult amateur players.
Prior to the game, players held their own "opening ceremony", as they had not been included in the official opening of the Olympiad, due to baseball's status as a demonstration sport.[5] Additionally, the U.S. baseball team was housed at a YMCA rather than in the Olympic Village.[3] Outside of the Olympics, contemporary news reports note that the U.S. baseball team played a series of exhibition games in Japan and South Korea.[6][7]
The first game, against the Japanese collegiate team, was a 2-2 draw after nine innings,[8] while the second game, against the Japanese adult amateurs, was won by the American team, 3-0.[9] Approximately 50,000 fans watched the games.[4]
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