USA Baseball named former Los Angeles Dodgers World Series champion Mike Scioscia its manager for the 2021 Professional National Team.
Scioscia, who also won a World Series title as manager for the L.A. Angels, will look to guide Team USA to a berth in the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer. “I am extremely honored and excited to lead Team USA this year,” he said in a statement.
“I am looking forward to the privilege of wearing the USA jersey and I know every member of our team will feel the same way. It is a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience that will hopefully end with the USA winning an Olympic gold medal!”
Scioscia will make his international coaching debut after spending 19 seasons as Angels manager (1999-2018). During his time in Anaheim, he led the team to a 1650-1428 record (.536), which is good for the 18th most managerial wins in MLB history.
Scioscia became the first manager to make the playoffs in six of his first 10 seasons and was twice named the AL Manager of the Year (2002, 2009). He is the Angels’ all-time leader in wins, games managed and division titles won.
Prior to his managerial career, Scioscia spent all 13 of his seasons as a player with the Dodgers. He won two World Series titles (1981, 1988) and was twice named a National League All-Star (1989-90).
The Tokyo Olympic Games baseball tournament will be held in Fukushima City and Yokohama, Japan, from July 28-Aug. 7. Host-country Japan, Israel, Korea and Mexico have already secured a berth in the six-team field.
With two spots still up for grabs, Team USA’s next opportunity to qualify will come in early June at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in Florida.
Team USA will open the tournament in Group A and face the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua in pool play. Canada, Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela make up Group B.
The top two teams from each pool will advance to the Super Round, where the team with the best overall record clinches a spot in the Tokyo Olympic baseball tournament.
USA Baseball will announce the complete Professional National Team coaching staff next week.
Scioscia looks to join Lasorda as only managers to lead Team USA to gold medal
If Team USA is able to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, Scioscia will look to become just the second manager to lead the country to a gold medal.
Longtime Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda did so at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, which he called one of the greatest honors of his career.
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