For the third time in this tournament's fine history, 16 teams from around the world are set to battle on the baseball diamond. The 2013 World Baseball Classic schedule has been released, and the first pitch is set to be thrown on March 2 at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome in Fukuoka, Japan. Once again, the squads for this incredible tournament are comprised of baseball’s brightest stars from leagues around the world. Play will start with the first round, which features four pools (A,B,C,D) with four teams each. These pools will battle amongst themselves in a round-robin format, and then the top two teams at each venue will advance to one of two second-round pools, consisting of a modified double-elimination format. The second round will be played at the Tokyo Dome in Japan and Miami’s Marlins Park from March 8-15. In the past two classics, Japan has emerged as the world champion.
Pool A will be played at the Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome from March 2-6, and will consist of Brazil, China, Cuba, and Japan. Pool B plays at Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, from March 2-5, featuring Australia, Chinese Taipei, Korea, and the Netherlands. Pool C will play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from March 7-10, with the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Venezuela. Lastly, Pool D will be played at Chase Field and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Arizona, from March 7-10. The teams competing there will be Canada, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. The championship round will take place at AT&T Park in San Francisco, and is slated for March 19. 2013 World Baseball Classic tickets are on sale now, so don’t miss your chance to witness this incredible event live.
