On March 5, the second World Baseball Classic kicks off when defending champion Japan takes on China in the first game of Pool A at the Tokyo Dome.
Back in 2006, Japan won the first World Baseball Classic final over Cuba with pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka earning MVP honors. Matsuzaka went 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA during the tournament, and his countryman Ichiro Suzuki was also outstanding, hitting .364 and hitting safely in every game. Matsuzaka, of course, has since come over to the United States and now toes the rubber for the Boston Red Sox.
Both Matsuzaka and Ichiro were both named to the WBC All-Tournament team, along with fellow Major Leaguers Derek Jeter, Adrian Beltre, Ken Griffey Jr., and Chan Ho Park. Team USA lost to Mexico 2-1 in the final game of the second round to bow out of the tournament before it got to the final round at PETCO Park. Korea, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Japan were the final four teams in the first World Baseball Classic.
This year, Team USA has revenge on its mind. In a future post, we will break down the WBC 2009 rosters once they are announced on February 24th and eventually take a stab at some predictions. In this post we are going to break down the participating countries, the schedule, the various sites where games will be played, and provide links where you can buy tickets if you are thinking of attending any of the games in North America.
2009 World Baseball Classic Pools
As in 2006, the 16 participating countries will be split into four pools: A, B, C, and D. Each pool will feature a 6-game, double-elimination, round-robin tournament with the top two teams in each pool advancing to a similarly structured Round 2 format.
Here are four pools:
WBC POOL A – games played at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan
- China
- Chinese Taipei
- Japan
- Korea
WBC POOL B – games played at Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico
- Australia
- Cuba
- Mexico
- South Africa
WBC POOL C – games played at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada
- Canada
- Italy
- USA
- Venezuela
World Baseball Classic Tickets – Toronto Strip (Includes all Six Games at Rogers Centre) March 06 2009
WBC POOL D – games played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Dominican Republic
- Kingdom of Netherlands
- Panama
- Puerto Rico
2009 World Baseball Classic First Round Schedule and TV Listings
Now let’s delve into the actual games. As mentioned above, each of the four pools will play a six-game round-robin tournament to determine which two teams advance to the second round. Below, we list the schedules for each pool:
WBC Pool A -- Round 1 Schedule
| Game | Date | Matchup | Time (local) | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 5 | China v Japan | 6:30 pm | 4:30 am | ESPN2 |
| 2 | March 6 | Chinese Taipei v Korea | 6:30 pm | 4:30 am | ESPN2 |
| 3 | March 7 | Game 1 Loser v Game 2 Loser | 12:30 pm | 10:30 pm (Fri.) | ESPN2 |
| 4 | March 7 | Game 1 Winner v Game 2 Winner | 7:00 pm | 5:00 am | ESPN2 |
| 5 | March 8 | Game 3 Winner v Game Game 4 Loser | 6:30 pm | 5:30 am | ESPN2 |
| 6 | March 9 | Game 4 Winner v Game 5 Winner | 6:30 pm | 5:30 am | ESPN2 |
WBC Pool B -- Round 1 Schedule
| Game | Date | Matchup | Time (local) | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 8 | Cuba v South Africa | 12:00 pm | 2:00 pm | MLB Network |
| 2 | March 8 | Australia v Mexico | 7:00 pm | 9:00 pm | MLB Network |
| 3 | March 9 | Game 1 Loser v Game 2 Loser | 8:00 pm | 10:00 pm | MLB Network |
| 4 | March 10 | Game 1 Winner v Game 2 Winner | 8:00 pm | 10:00 pm | MLB Network |
| 5 | March 11 | Game 3 Winner v Game 4 Loser | 8:00 pm | 10:00 pm | MLB Network |
| 6 | March 12 | Game 4 Winner v Game 5 Winner | 7:00 pm | 9:00 pm | MLB Network |
WBC Pool C -- Round 1 Schedule
| Game | Date | Matchup | Time (local) | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 7 | Canada v USA | 2:00 pm | 2:00 pm | ESPN |
| 2 | March 7 | Italy v Venezuela | 8:00 pm | 8:00 pm | MLB Network |
| 3 | March 8 | Game 1 Winner v Game 2 Winner | 8:00 pm | 8:00 pm | ESPN2 |
| 4 | March 9 | Game 1 Loser v Game 2 Loser | 6:30 pm | 6:30 pm | MLB Network |
| 5 | March 10 | Game 4 Winner v Game Loser | 5:00 pm | 5:00 pm | ESPN2 |
| 6 | March 11 | Game 3 Winner v Game 5 Winner | 6:30 pm | 6:30 pm | MLB Network |
WBC Pool D -- Round 1 Schedule
| Game | Date | Matchup | Time (local) | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 7 | Dominican Republic v Netherlands | 12:00 pm | 11:00 am | ESPN2 |
| 2 | March 7 | Panama v Puerto Rico | 6:00 pm | 5:00 pm | ESPN |
| 3 | March 8 | Game 1 Loser v Game 2 Loser | 4:30 pm | 4:30 pm | ESPN |
| 4 | March 9 | Game 1 Winner v Game 2 Winner | 6:30 pm | 6:30 pm | MLB Network |
| 5 | March 10 | Game 3 Winner v Game 4 Loser | 6:30 pm | 6:30 pm | MLB Network |
| 6 | March 11 | Game 4 Winner v Game 5 Winner | 5:00 pm | 5:00 pm | ESPN2 |
The second round of the World Baseball Classic will take place at PETCO Park in San Diego, California and Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida. The top two teams from Pools A and B will play in San Diego from March 15 through March 19. The top two teams from Pools C and D will play in Miami from March 14 through March 18. The games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2, and the MLB Network.
World Baseball Classic Tickets – San Diego Package (Includes all Six Games at Petco Park) March 14 2009
The championship round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic will be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California from March 21 through March 23. All games will be televised on ESPN.
World Baseball Classic Tickets – Los Angeles Package (Includes all Three Games at Dodger Stadium) March 20 2009
Go to the 2009 World Baseball Classic Schedule at the WBC official site to see the schedule broken down by game and TV listing.
What do you think will be the outcome of the 2009 WBC?
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About Jerod Morris
