Short track silver medalist to play for Olympic baseball team

Eddy Alvarez, who won a silver medal in men’s 5,000-meter relay short track speed skating in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, is looking to add another Olympic medal as a baseball player for the U.S. Olympic baseball team in Tokyo.

Alvarez, who began his baseball career after the Sochi Olympics, helped the U.S. national baseball team, as an infielder, advance to the Olympic Games after the Super Round of the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier. The son of Cuban immigrants played both short track and baseball as a child.

If Alvarez got a medal in Tokyo, he would become the third American athlete to win medals in both Summer and Winter Olympics Games. Two American athletes including Eddie Eagan, who won Olympic gold medals as a boxer and bobsledder in 1920 and 1932, respectively, and Lauryn Williams, who won silver medals in the 100 meter dash in 2004 and bobsleigh in 2014, respectively, have achieved the feat. Alvarez would become the sixth athlete in the world to set such record.

Alvarez signed with the Chicago White Sox in June 2014, and made his major league debut six years later. He is currently playing for the minor league team of the Miami Marlins.

The question is if Alvarez will get called up to Major League Baseball. If he gets a call-up, he will not be able to participate in the Olympics according to the schedule. In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Alvarez said if he gets a call-up, he will accept the offer but the Olympics are still his dream.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com