Before baseball ever became an official Olympic sport, one pitcher spent decades laying the groundwork. Al Closter threw just one-third of an inning in his MLB debut for the Washington Senators. But away from the major leagues, he threw for decades to get baseball into the Olympics. Closter pitched in only 21 major league games during his career, but he was a key figure in proving that baseball belonged on the world stage.

Closter passed away on June 11, 2026, in Morattico, Virginia, at the age of 82. As the baseball world mourns his loss, Major League Baseball remembers him not for his career stats, but as a pioneer who helped take the game global.

“Former Yankees pitcher, collegiate standout and Olympic baseball pioneer Al Closter has died at the age of 84,” Forbes.com quoted Baseball Almanac.

Born Alan Edward Closter in Creighton, Nebraska, on June 15, 1943, he was a standout left-handed pitcher at Iowa State University. Before that, he declined a two-sport offer at his local school, Creighton University. He was drafted by the Indians in 1965, activating Rule 5. But Closter made his major league debut the next year with the Washington Senators. In his very first game, he pitched just one-third of an inning against the Baltimore Orioles.

He later spent two seasons with the New York Yankees. Closter finished his big-league career with the Atlanta Braves in 1973. He ended his short MLB run with a 6.62 ERA and 26 strikeouts.

However, in between, Closter did something that most MLB players would have dreamt of during his era.

In 1964, Closter won a gold medal with Team USA in the Tokyo Summer Olympics, where baseball was featured as a demonstration sport. While the game was included as a non-medal sport, it was still a huge feat back then. It took the sport beyond American shores. He was one of only seven pitchers on the U.S. roster. They played against amateur teams from Japan.

“Amateur baseball players from the United States and Japan put on a demonstration of their game … In hopes that it will be one day accepted as an Olympic sport,” the Associated Press reported back then.

After the Olympics, Closter led Team USA in games across Japan and South Korea. Both countries later became huge baseball hubs. Today, as MLB grows across Asia, fans credit Closter for laying those early foundations.

It was only later, in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, that baseball finally became an official medal sport. The upcoming LA Olympics 2028 would also feature baseball, and it’s one more reason to celebrate Al Closter. He shouldn’t be evaluated based on his on-field numbers, but on what he has done for the game. As he passed away on June 11, 2026, in Morattico, Virginia, MLB remembers one of the pioneers in putting baseball on the global map.

There are a few more names that get credited for globalizing baseball.

Al Closter got a few others to popularize baseball

Former MLB commissioner Bud Selig was one of the pioneers in globalizing baseball. He co-created the World Baseball Classic in 2006. This tournament allowed MLB stars to represent their home countries, sparking worldwide interest in the sport. Also, under his leadership, MLB expanded its international presence by hosting regular-season and exhibition games in countries like Mexico, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Australia.

Even before Closter, Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig’s Japan tour in 1934, baseball popularity had been sparked in the Asian region. It was later amplified after Hideo Nomo and Ichiro Suzuki entered the MLB. Negro League teams were also among the first to globalize baseball by playing winter series in Cuba as early as 1900.

However, it was first with Closter that baseball was thought to get into the Olympics. As Shohei Ohtani and Hyeseong Kim dominate in MLB, Closter dreamt about it decades ago.