Known as America’s pastime, baseball was added as a demonstration sport at the 1900 Paris Olympics and was officially added to the Olympic program in 1992. It was played at each Olympiad thereafter through the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. After a hiatus, baseball returned to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The Sydney 2000 Games were the first Olympics to feature professional baseball players. Ben Sheet’s three-hit shutout performance on the mound at Sydney 2000 helped to turn an underdog team into Olympic champions.