Facts:
The World Baseball Classic, first played in 2006, is the first international baseball tournament featuring major league players. The second WBC is in 2009, and it's planned to be held every four years in March, during Major League Baseball spring training.
It is sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation in a partnership with Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and other professional leagues.
Teams:
Format:
The teams in each pool will play in a double-elimination format, with the top two teams in each of the four pools advancing to the second round, held in the United States.
The four teams advancing from Pools A and B will play at Petco Park in San Diego. The four from Pools C and D will play at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. The teams will play a double-elimination round, with two more teams from each site advancing to the finals in Los Angeles.
At Dodger Stadium, a single-elimination tournament among the four teams will be held to determine the champion.
Special Rules:
- Pitch-count limits will be 70 per game in Round 1, 85 per game in Round 2 and 100 per game in the semifinals and final.
- In semifinal games being played on consecutive days, any pitcher who throws 30 or more pitches in the semifinals will not be eligible to pitch in the finals.
- Teams will be required to announce the next day's starting pitcher.
- The IBAF extra-inning rule, which was used in the 2008 Olympics, will be utilized. Beginning with 13th inning, each half-inning will begin with runners on first and second base, with the batting order intact.
Changes From 2006:
- In the first WBC, teams played a round-robin format in the first two rounds.
- The four qualifying teams will cross over for the semifinals, with the winner of each pool playing against the runner-up from the other pool.
- Pitch counts were increased from 65, 80 and 95 (for the respective three rounds) in 2006.
- The new MLB rule on video replay will be adopted, allowing a review by umpires for boundary calls.
