Pirates Prospect Eyes Gold Medal For Team USA
For many athletes, few honors are greater than representing their own country and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Termarr Johnson could soon have some hardware from playing for Team USA.
Johnson and Team USA reached the Super Round in the WBSC Premier12 and face Japan in its home country at the Tokyo Dome in the first game on Thursday at 5 a.m. ET. The Pirates' No. 3 prospect and No. 75 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline has expressed confidence in what Team USA is capable of and is grateful for the opportunity to represent his home country in enemy territory.
“I’m excited to be able to bring it back for my country,” Johnson said. “I love my country so much. It’s a lot that comes with [representing] it. Me being able to do that on the highest stage possible is a blessing. I’m thankful to God for it.”
Venezuela and Chinese Taipei are the other two teams in the Super Round. Each team plays each other over the first three days of the tournament and the top two teams play for the gold medal on Sunday. USA plays Chinese Taipei on Friday at 10 p.m. ET then rounds things out on Saturday against Venezuela at 10 p.m. ET.
Venezuela beat Team USA 5-3 in the opening round in Mexico.
Team USA went 3-2 in the group stage in Mexico and clinched its spot in the Super Round with a 12-2 win over Mexico. Johnson turned in his best performance with Team USA's fate in the tournament on the line, as he went 3-4 with a two-run home run and three runs scored. His two-run blast off the scoreboard in right-center field gave Team USA a 2-1 and was the first of 12 straight runs en route to its win via run-rule in seven innings.
Two Run HR by 2B Termarr Johnson @USABaseball#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/3Nv4qx6vV3
— Pittsburgh Pirates Player Development Report (@PGHplayerDev) November 15, 2024
Through five games, Johnson has hit .385.615/.529 with a home run and two RBIs.
While playing in the tournament could bode well for Johnson in the future once he returns to the States and can focus on his ascension through the minor league ranks for the Pirates, that's the least of his concerns at the moment.
“I’m honestly just worried about trying to get a gold medal now," Johnson said. 'I’m so focused on that. I’m so focused on trying to bring it back for America, not necessarily worried about too much of the future. I can only focus on the next three or four days, make sure I do my best here. When it’s all said and done, then I can think about what’s next.”
