As he prepares to return stateside following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Boston Red Sox prospect Triston Casas doesn't appear to be fully satisfied with his Team USA experience.
The Americans came up short in their quest for gold, losing the championship game to the host nation of Japan, 2-0, on Saturday to finish as silver medalists.
Though the 21-year-old Casas led the Americans in both home runs and runs batted in, the first baseman told The Boston Globe that overall, it "hurts" to have won silver.
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"It feels terrible," Casas told the Globe's Gary Washburn. "We didn't accomplish what we wanted to come here and do, which was to win a gold medal, but hats off to that great Japan team. They came out and beat us twice."
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Casas, who'll report to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, led the entire Olympic tournament with eight RBIs and tied for the lead with his three homers. The top pick of the Red Sox in 2018, Casas is hitting .271 with six homers and 30 RBIs across 36 games for Portland this summer.
"That silver medal isn't something that's going to be hanging up in my house, I'll tell you that," Casas said. "I'm not embarrassed but it's not what I came here to do. I came here to win a gold medal."
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With baseball out for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, Casas will have to wait until at least 2028 to capture Olympic gold, though there are no guarantees the sport will return for the 2028 Olympics, set to take place in Los Angeles.
Casas can take solace in knowing that by going 4-2 in Japan, Team USA doubled the number of wins the Red Sox had on their recent 10-game road trip (2-8).