Joe Ryan won an Olympic silver medal with Team USA in baseball at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were held in 2021. Ryan was part of the United States pitching staff that finished second in the Olympic tournament.
Ryan was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB draft after starring at California State University, Stanislaus. Before reaching the majors, he represented the United States in Tokyo and earned a victory against Israel in the tournament’s opening phase.
Team USA advanced to the gold-medal game but lost to Japan, earning silver. Baseball’s Olympic return was especially notable because the sport had been absent from the 2012 and 2016 Olympic programs. The official event name remained Tokyo 2020 even though competition took place in 2021 after the Games were postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ryan later became a major-league starter with the Minnesota Twins after being acquired from Tampa Bay in the Nelson Cruz trade. His Olympic medal is an international achievement separate from MLB awards and is the detail that distinguishes him from the other choices.