World Baseball Challenge
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| Country | Canada |
| Venue(s) | Citizen Field,Prince George, British Columbia |
| Continent | North America |
| Most recent champion(s) | Team Japan (2016) |
| Most titles | Four teams (1 each) |
TheWorld Baseball Challengeis an internationalbaseballcompetition based inPrince George, British Columbia,Canada.The tournament was established in 2002 by Larry Seminoff, who is also the founder of theGrand Forks International.
History[edit]
The current incarnation of the event, beginning in 2009, has been held every two years at Citizen Field inPrince George, British Columbia,Canada.It is sanctioned by theInternational Baseball Federation,Baseball Canadaand Baseball BC. The field of participants for the event typically consists of amateur or competitors such as theUnited States Collegiate National Team,theCuban National baseballB squad, independent Canadian club teams and Japanese industrial clubs.[1]
2009[edit]
TheUSA National Collegiate Baseball Teamdefeated theGerman National Teamby a score of 8–1 in the final.[2]Drew Pomeranzof theUniversity of Mississippipitched a one-hitter against the tournament's only European team. Germanstarting pitcherTim Henkenjohann was named theMost Valuable Playerof the tournament.[3]Team USA included several futureMajor League Baseballplayers, such asTrevor Bauer,Gerrit Cole,Yasmani Grandal,Sonny Gray,Kolten Wongand Pomeranz.[1]Canada, British Columbia, Prince George Axemen and theBahamas National Teamfinished in third through sixth place respectively.[3][4]
2011[edit]
Cuban National Baseball B Teamdefeated Chinese Taipei 10–5 in the final.[5]The Cuban squad included futureAmerican League Rookie of the YearJosé Abreu.
2013[edit]
TheCiego de Ávila Tigresof theCuban National Seriesdefeated Japan's JX-ENEOS 14–4 bymercy rulein the championship game.[6]Team USA, with a roster featuring players from the Northwest Collegiate Baseball League, finished third in its return to the tournament.
2016[edit]
In 2015, the event's organizers announced that that year's tournament would be postponed until 2016 due to a lack of sponsor support. Canada was to be represented by theLangley Blaze U18,facing the winners of Japan'sInterCity baseball tournamentand players from theNorthwest Collegiate Baseball League(Team USA). Teams from the Bahamas and Cuba were also expected to play in the tournament.
The 2016 tournament is August 12–20, 2016.Roswell Invadersof thePecos Leagueare one of two teams from theUnited States.[7][8]Other teams participating areKamloops Sun Devils,Sidearm Nation(Calgary), Team Japan and the Thurston County Senators (Olympia) of thePuget Sound Collegiate League.[9]
Team Japan went undefeated to capture the gold medal. They defeatedRoswell Invaders5–4 in the finale, scoring the winning run on a passed ball.
Tournament results[edit]
| Year | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal | Other participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | USA Baseball Collegiate National Team | Team Germany | Team Canada | Team British Columbia, Prince George Axemen,Bahamas National Baseball Team |
| 2011 | Cuba National Baseball Team "B" | Team Chinese Taipei | Toshiba (Japan) | Team Canada,Bahamas National Baseball Team,Beijing Tigers[10] |
| 2013 | Ciego de Ávila Tigres | JX-ENEOS (Japan) | Team USA | Team Chinese Taipei, Team Canada |
| 2016 | Team Japan | Roswell Invaders | Sidearm Nation | Thurston County Senators, Kamloops Sun Devils |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abJohnson, Andrea (25 May 2015)."World Baseball Challenge postponed until 2016".The Prince George Citizen.
- ^"Team USA one-hits Germany to win World Baseball Challenge".Mister Baseball.27 July 2009.
- ^ab"Prince George: Team USA one-hits Germany to win World Baseball Challenge".Mister Baseball. July 27, 2009.Retrieved2 November2015.
- ^"World Baseball Challenge personnel with past/current ties to MLB or professional baseball".BallCharts.Retrieved2 November2015.
- ^"World Baseball Challenge Under Review".250 News.15 September 2013.
- ^"Cuban Tigers Champions of 2013 World Baseball Challenge".Escambray.23 August 2013.
- ^"Roswell to invade World Baseball Challenge".Prince George Citizen.26 July 2016.
- ^"Invaders bringing plenty of power to WBC".Prince George Citizen.10 August 2016.
- ^"Invaders accept invitation to play in World Baseball Challenge in Canada next month".Roswell Daily Record.28 July 2016.
- ^"World Baseball Challenge".Pointstreak Baseball.17 July 2011.
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