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Everything to Know About the World Baseball Classic
It has been six years since baseball’s superstars faced off in the sport’s version of a World Cup. The U.S., Japan, the Dominican Republic and others are top contenders.
For the first time in six years, the top players in professional baseball — and some hard-charging amateurs — will be competing in the World Baseball Classic. If watching stars for the Cardinals and the Padres (and just about every other Major League Baseball team) compete in uniforms that say things like U.S.A. and Korea seems appealing (or at least more appealing than spring training games), here’s what to know:
When and where are the games?
The opener, the Netherlands versus Cuba, is Tuesday at 11 p.m., Eastern time.
The 20 teams that qualified for the tournament are divided into four groups, playing in Phoenix; Miami; Taichung, Taiwan; and Tokyo. Pool play continues through March 15.
The top two teams from each group advance to knockout quarterfinals. The semifinals and final will be played from March 19 to 21 in Miami.
Twenty seems like a lot of teams.
That’s the most ever in the W.B.C., up from 16 last time, in 2017. That means that in addition to the traditional baseball powerhouses, there’s room for first-timers like the Czech Republic, Britain and Nicaragua.
The Czech Republic? Britain? Baseball?
There are no Shohei Ohtanis on the Czech team, but the homegrown squad does have a 37-year-old firefighter on its pitching staff (who has been a two-way star for his team) and a reliever who doubles as the team’s publicity director. The top-ranked countries have Mets and Dodgers suiting up, but Britain has a player from Swarthmore College.
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