Team USA’s run to win the gold medal in baseball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics is the subject of David Fanucchi’s book, “Miracle on Grass.”
On Sept. 27, 2000 — 25 years ago Saturday — a team comprised mostly of Major League Baseball prospects won the gold medal in baseball at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
The thing is — they weren’t supposed to. The Cuban team was a juggernaut and had swept through the previous two Olympic tournaments in 1992 and 1996 without a single defeat.
But, in 2000, former Dodgers manager and Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda came out of retirement to manage Team USA, which featured future Astros stars Roy Oswalt and Adam Everett alongside future MLB ace Ben Sheets. And Lasorda led the team of largely unknown minor leaguers to shock the world and upset the Cubans, going 6-1 in the tournament.
Houstonian David Fanucchi talks about his book, “Miracle on Grass,” on Houston Matters with Craig Cohen.
Houstonian David Fanucchi was the press officer for Team USA at the time and later wrote a book about their six-week run to glory called Miracle on Grass.
In an interview with Houston Matters host Craig Cohen (audio above and video below), Fanucchi explains how Oswalt and Everett were surprise picks for the roster and how the team came together to surprise the world.
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