WEST PALM BEACH (KMOX) - The No. 1 pitching prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization is just one step away from making his MLB debut. But before that happens, he might be making his Olympic debut.
Matthew Liberatore, 21, earned a victory for Team USA in the Americas Qualifier on Monday night against Nicaragua. It was the first game of the tournament in which USA is the heavy favorite to win and qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
He threw five innings and allowed just one run on five hits with four strikeouts.
USA won 7-1 and will take on the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, then play its final first-round game on Wednesday against Puerto Rico.
The winner of this eight-team tournament will go to the Olympics, but the second- and third-place teams will have one more chance to qualify in a smaller tournament against Australia, Taiwan, and the Netherlands.
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