World Baseball Classic

This article is about the current baseball world championship. For the world championship before 2013, seeBaseball World Cup.

World Baseball Classic

Upcoming season or competition: 2026 World Baseball Classic
Sport	Baseball
Founded	2005(2005)
First season	2006
Administrator	WBCI WBSC
No. of teams	20 (tournament) 8 (qualification)
Region	Worldwide
Most recent champion(s)	Japan(2023)
Most titles	Japan(3 titles)
TV partner(s)	United States:Fox/FS1 MLB Network
Streaming partner(s)	YouTube,Amazon Prime Video
Official website	WBCI

TheWorld Baseball Classic(WBC), also referred to asthe Classic,is an internationalbaseballtournament sanctioned by theWorld Baseball Softball Confederation(WBSC),the sport's global governing body, and organized inpartnershipwithMajor League Baseball(MLB) andMajor League Baseball Players Association(MLBPA). The winning team is awarded theWorld Baseball Classic Championship Trophy.It is one of the two main senior baseball tournaments sanctioned by the WBSC, alongside theWBSC Premier12,but is the only one to grant the winner the title of "world champion".

The tournament, proposed in 2005 by MLB and itsPlayers Association,was first held in2006as an invitational event. It previously coexisted withOlympic baseball(until 2008) and theBaseball World Cup(until 2011) as tournaments sanctioned by theInternational Baseball Federation,the predecessor to the WBSC.The Baseball World Cup was discontinued after the 2011 edition, when the WBSC accepted an MLB suggestion to make the WBC the officially-sanctioned world championship, on the condition that the Classic should have direct qualifications and follow international anti-doping rules.

After a three-year gap between the first two installments of the tournament, plans were made for the World Baseball Classic to be repeated every four years following the 2009 event. The third installment of the Classic was held in 2013, and the fourth was held in 2017. The World Baseball Classic was held five times from2006to2023,withJapan,theDominican Republic,and theUnited Stateswinning the championship. Japan, as of the 2023 tournament, is the only team to win the tournament multiple times.

The tournament is the first of its kind to have national teams featuring professional players from the top-level major leagues around the world, including Major League Baseball andNippon Professional Baseball(NPB). In addition to providing a format for the best baseball players in the world to compete against one another while representing their home countries, the World Baseball Classic was created in order to further promote the game around the globe. As of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the tournament is one of the most viewed sporting events in the world.

Background

See also:Baseball World CupandInternational Baseball Federation

TheCuban national teamat the1951 Amateur World Series.Cuba won the most international titles in the 20th century.

Prior to the advent of the World Baseball Classic, there was no international baseball championship that saw universal participation from players across the globe. Outside the United States, the formally-recognized "world championship" was theBaseball World Cup,sanctioned by theInternational Baseball Federationand held 38 times from 1938 to 2011; it was known as the Amateur World Series until 1988. The inaugural1938 Amateur World Serieswas contested byGreat Britainand theUnited Statesover a series of five games from August 13 to 20 inEngland,and was won byGreat Britain.Cubawas by far the most successful team at the Baseball World Cup, winning 25 of the 39 editions.

Baseball was also intermittently playedat the Summer Olympic Gamesas early as1912,although it was not recognized as an officialdemonstration sportuntil the1984 Los Angeles Games.It would take another eight years, at the1992 Games,for baseball to be accorded the status of a medal sport.

For most of their history, the Olympics and Baseball World Cup were openonly to amateur (i.e. non-professional) players;as a results, those participating in top-levelprofessional baseballleagues in the United States, Japan, and elsewhere were not included. Although both competition formally rescinded their amateur-only status in the 1990s, allowing professional players to participate, there was little participation from major league players. Nevertheless, the idea of a tournament with the express involvement of top-level professional ballplayers had been seriously considered since the mid-1990s. Gene Orza, counsel and board member of theMajor League Baseball Players Association,began campaigning for such a tournament in 2004, enlisting the support of IBAF presidentAldo Notari.The inaugural tournament was announced byMLB CommissionerBud Seligand MLBPA presidentDonald Fehron May 11, 2005.The success of the 2006 tournament led organizers to immediately begin planning for a follow-up tournament in 2009.

The IBAF merged with the International Softball Federation in 2013 to form theWorld Baseball Softball Confederation.That same year, the WBSC discontinued the Baseball World Cup, last held in 2011, making the World Baseball Classic one of the two main senior baseball tournaments sanctioned by the WBSC, alongside thePremier 12;however, the WBC is the only one which grants to the winner the title of "World Champion".

History

MLB CommissionerBud Seligwas a driving force in creating the WBC

The first World Baseball Classic tournament was announced in May2005byBud Selig,thecommissionerof Major League Baseball.Major League Baseball had been attempting to create such a tournament for at least two years, but faced resistance from both owners and the MLBPA players' union. MLB owners, notablyNew York YankeesownerGeorge Steinbrenner,had been concerned about their star players being injured in international play before the beginning ofspring trainingand the regular season. This was a concern for the MLBPA as well, but their primary objection was withdrug testing.MLB wanted the stricterOlympicstandards in place for the tournament, while the union wanted the more lax MLB standards in place at the time.Eventually, a deal was reached on insurance for player contracts and a fairly tough drug testing standard. MLB teams would not be able to directly block their players from participating.

Similarly,Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB) and its players' association had a disagreement over participation in the tournament. While the owners initially agreed to the invitation, the players' union was concerned about the time of year the tournament was scheduled to take place, as well as their right to be better represented for the2009tournament. On September 16, 2005, after four months of negotiations, NPB officially notified the IBAF and MLB they had accepted the invitation.

2006–09: Samurai Japan's back-to-back championships

See also:2006 World Baseball Classic championshipand2009 World Baseball Classic championship

The 16-team field for the inaugural2006 tournamentwas pre-selected, featuring the countries judged to be the "best baseball-playing nations" in the world; no qualifying competition was held.The tournament format featuredround-robingroup play in the first and second rounds, followed bysingle-eliminationsemifinals and finals. The first game in WBC history sawSouth KoreadefeatChinese Taipei2–0 before a crowd of 5,193 at theTokyo Domeon March 3, 2006. South Korea went on to advance to the semifinals with a 6–0 record but lost toJapan(a team South Korea had beaten twice in the earlier rounds) for a berth in the final game. Meanwhile,Cubadefeated theDominican Republicin the other semifinal. Both countries had to go through two rounds ofgroup stagesand the semi-finals inknockout formatto reach the final. Cuba lost only two games, once toPuerto Ricoin the first round and once to theDominican Republicin the second round. However, Japan lost three times, twice toSouth Koreain each round and theUnited Statesin the second round. This sparked aformat controversysince South Korea would have a better overall and head-to-head record than Japan by the end of the tournament. As such, Cuba was the favorite to win the final. The team with the higher winning percentage of games in the tournament was to be the home team.

The match began progressing when Japan's starting pitcher–Daisuke Matsuzaka–gave up fourhits,fivestrikeoutsand one run by the end of the 4th inning using agyroballpitching style. Offensively, Japan was able to record 6 runs with the help ofIchiro Suzuki's batting style ofcontact hitting.Once the Japanesebullpentook the mound in the 6th inning, Cuba aggressively responded for the rest of the baseball game, usingpower hitting.By the end of the eighth, the disparity would come down to one run in favor of Japan fromFrederich Cepeda'shome run,who would record threeruns batted inby the end of the game. In the ninth, Japan would counter by pushing their offensive limit over Cuba's, which would result in a final score of ten to six. The aftermath of the final most notably included notice fromMajor League Baseball,from Cuba's increase indefectionto Matsuzaka's impact for theWorld Series championBoston Red Soxin the next year.

featured the same 16 teams as 2006, but thecontroversialround-robin format from 2006 was replaced by amodified double-eliminationformat for the first two rounds (the semifinals and final game remained single-elimination). The eight teams advancing from the first round were the same as in 2006, except for a"Cinderella"performance by theNetherlands,which twice defeated the Dominican Republic to reach the second round. In the semifinals, South Korea defeatedVenezuelawhile Japan defeated theUnited States.South Koreawon the coin flip held after the second semifinal betweenJapanand the United States, designating them as the home team for the final.

Japan drew first blood, scoring on anRBIsinglebyMichihiro Ogasawarain the third inning.Shin-Soo Chootied the score 1−all with ahome runin the fifth inning. With runners on first and third,Hiroyuki Nakajimahit an RBI single to bringSeiichi Uchikawahome to give Japan the lead 2−1.South Korea failed to take advantage of Japanese pitcherHisashi Iwakuma,who was visibly tired, when they failed to score in the seventh inning, when Iwakuma was relieved byToshiya Sugiuchiafter two outs. Uchikawa hit a single to start the eighth.Atsunori Inabascored adoubleto put Uchikawa in scoring position, and Uchikawa scored onAkinori Iwamura'ssacrifice fly.Hyun-wook Jongretired the remaining batters to close out the inning.

2006 World Baseball Classic Trophy; the trophy is in theJapanese Baseball Hall of Fame

Japan brought out theircloser,Yu Darvish,for the bottom of the ninth with a 3−2 lead. Darvish struck outKeun-woo Jeong,butwalkedHyun-soo KimandTae-kyun Kimto put South Koreans on first and second with one out. Darvish then struck out Choo and was one out away from saving the game. ButBum-ho Leesingled, driving inJong-wook Leefor the game-tying run to make it 3−all and send the game intoextra innings.Japan batted first, withChang-yong Limpitching for South Korea in the tenth. Uchikawa and Iwamura hit a single to put runners on first and third with two out. Ichiro was one strike away from ending the inning when he hit a line-drive single up the middle that scored Iwamura and Uchikawa. Lim then hit Nakajima with a pitch and intentionally walkedNorichika Aokito faceKenji Johjimawho was hitless up to that point. Lim was able to strikeout Johjima and send the game to the bottom of the tenth. Darvish made short work of South Korea, capping with a strikeout ofKeun-woo Jeongto clinch Japan's successful defense of their 2006 championship.

PitcherDaisuke Matsuzakaof Japan was awarded the tournament MVP for the second consecutive time, with a 3−0recordand 2.45ERA.

After the match the team was congratulated immediately for their victory by Japanese prime ministerTaro Aso.And Korean PresidentLee Myung-bakinvited the Korean team to come and encourage the team.

2013: Direct qualification and "Plátano Power"

See also:2013 World Baseball Classic championship

In 2013, The World Baseball Classic is one of the two main senior baseball tournaments sanctioned by the WBSC, alongside thePremier 12but the Classic is the only one which grants to the winner the title of "World Champion".

The buildup to the2013 tournamentincluded aqualifying roundfor the first time, with the four lowest finishers from 2009 having to re-qualify against 12 additional teams. This resulted in two new nations making their first appearances in the WBC, asBrazilandSpainrespectively replacedPanamaandSouth Africa.The round-robin format was revived for the tournament's first-round, while the second-round remained double-elimination. in Pool B,South Koreawent into the final game needing not only to win (which would cause a three-way tie for the two second-round berths) but to win by at least five runs in order to have a chance of advancing on tiebreakers. AlthoughChinese Taipeilost its 2−0 lead in Korea's three-run eighth-inning rally, and then lost the game, they emerged as winners of the pool and of the second-round berth since Korea's margin of victory was only one run. and thenItalywas the biggest surprise in the early stages of the tournament, making it to the second round with wins over Canada and Mexico.

2013 World Baseball Classic championshipbetweenDominican RepublicandPuerto Rico,20 March 2013

The tournament ended in an all-Caribbean championship game, with theDominican RepublicdefeatingPuerto Rico,In the final,Samuel Dedunostarted for the Dominican Republic, whileGiancarlo Alvaradostarted for Puerto Rico.35,703 fans attended the game atAT&T ParkinSan Francisco.An additional 50,000 Dominican fans watched the game atEstadio QuisqueyainSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic.In Puerto Rico, the final was the most watched sporting event for the past year with nearly three-fourths of all households tuning in.Edwin Encarnaciónhit a two-rundoublein the first inning, giving the Dominican Republic the lead.Erick Aybarhad the game's thirdrun batted infor the Dominican Republic. Deduno recorded fivestrikeoutsin five scorelessinnings pitchedandFernando Rodneycompleted the game with asave,his seventh of the tournament.Four Dominican relief pitchers combined for 4 scoreless innings.

This was the third time in the tournament that the Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico.The Dominican Republic completed the tournament with an 8–0 record, becoming the first undefeated team to win the World Baseball Classic.Robinson Canówas named theMost Valuable Playerof the Classic after he batted 15-for-32 (.469), the most hits in tournament history. After the match the team was congratulated for their victory by Dominican presidentDanilo Medina.

2017: American redemption

See also:2017 World Baseball Classic championship

2013-17 The Classic Trophy

The2017 tournamentreturned to the format used in 2006, where both the first and second rounds were round-robin, though with the addition of tiebreaker games if needed.ColombiaandIsraelqualified for the first time, with Israel using a roster mostly ofJewish Americanplayers. Prior to the start of the 2017 World Baseball Classic,ESPNconsidered Team Israel, ranked 41st in the world, to be the biggest underdog in the tournament, referring to it as the "Jamaican bobsled teamof the WBC ".On the other hand, Defending championDominican Republicextended its WBC winning streak to 11 games, dating to the 2013 tournament, before being eliminated in the second round. TheUnited Stateswon its first WBC championship, defeating Japan andPuerto Ricoin the semifinals and finals, respectively. Puerto Rico reached the championship undefeated in the tournament, winning all sevengames played.Puerto Rico had defeated the United States when they faced each other inPool F.

In the semi-final Japan reached the semifinals with wins in all six games played in the previous rounds.Tanner Roarkstarted for the United States in the semifinal game,whileTomoyuki Suganostarted for Japan.Roark pitched four scoreless innings,while Sugano allowed one run in six innings. The United States scored a run on an RBIsinglebyAndrew McCutchenin the fourth inning, andRyosuke Kikuchihit a home run for Japan in the sixth inning to tie the game. The United States scored another run in the eighth inning to take the lead, andLuke Gregersonearned thesave.Though the Japanese team was considered the strongest defensive team in the WBC, mistakes by Kikuchi at second base andNobuhiro Matsudaat third base led to each of the United States's runs.

In the championship game,Seth Lugostarted for Puerto Rico,andMarcus Stromanstarted for the United States.Ian Kinslerhit a two-run home run for the United States in the third inning, as Puerto Rico's performance faltered without earning a single run throughout the innings. Kinsler scored again in the fifth inning on a single byChristian Yelich,and Yelich scored on an infield single by McCutchen. Two more runs scored on abases loadedsingle byBrandon Crawfordin the seventh inning, andGiancarlo Stantonscored the inning's third run with an RBI single. Meanwhile, Stroman did not allow a hit for the first six innings of play. The United States added another run in the eighth inning with an RBI single by McCutchen. TheUnited Statescompleted theshutoutto win the championship.Stroman was named the tournament'sMost Valuable Player.

2023: "Baseball's already won"

World Baseball Classic Championship gold medal November 21, 2023

In January 2020, MLB announced that the 2021 WBC would be expanded to 20 teams. The additional four participants would be determined through qualifying tournaments, which were originally planned to take place in March 2020.However, on March 12, 2020, Major League Baseball announced that the 2021 tournament would be postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

Thecollective bargaining agreement(CBA) from the2021–22 Major League Baseball lockoutplanned for the next World Baseball Classic to be held in2023.Qualificationfor the tournament concluded on October 5, 2022, with Nicaragua claiming the final berth in a victory against Brazil.The competition took place from March 8, 2023, to March 21, 2023.

For the 2023 classic, theMLBurged its stars to participate.Mike Troutannounced his participation, which motivated a cascade of others includingTrea Turner,Paul Goldschmidt,Nolan Arenado,J. T. Realmuto,Mookie Bettsand more of MLB's finest to join Team USA. This further stimulated participation of other important stars in countries around the world. TheSamurai Japanteam assembled their own star-studded roster, includingShohei Ohtani,Roki Sasaki,Yu Darvish,Masataka Yoshida,Munetaka Murakami,andYoshinobu Yamamoto,to form what many consider to be the most powerful Japanese team in history.

TheUnited Statesbeat Venezuela to faceCubain the semifinals. Baseball is Cuba's most popular sport, and is played at a very high level. Therefore, the stakes of the encounter were high. Meanwhile, Japan facedMexicoin the semifinals, who were on aCinderella run,majorly led by Tampa Bay Rays outfielderRandy Arozarena.

After defeating Cuba in the semifinals by a wide margin, theUnited Statesfaced another great rival,Japan,in the final. The final was incredibly popular in Japan, drawing over 54 million Japanese viewers.Shota Imanagastarted for Japan, whileMerrill Kellystarted for USA. With a 3 - 2 lead, two outs, and no runners on base in the bottom of the ninth inning, Japan'sShohei Ohtani- one of the best pitchers in recent memory - stood on the mound as hisAngelsteammateMike Trout,widely considered the greatest player of his generation, stepped up to the plate. After the first pitch of this iconic matchup,Fox Sportscommentator Joe Davis reflected on the spectacle, saying, "As Benji Gil said last night, 'Baseball's already won.'" The two battled to a full count. Ohtani would lure Trout to swing and miss with a gutsy slider down and away, sealing the victory for Japan.

After the match, the team was congratulated for their victory by Japanese prime ministerFumio Kishida.With Japan's win over USA in the championship game, they became the second team to win the World Baseball classic without losing a single game the entire tournament, after the aforementioned Dominican Republic in 2013.

2026 tournament

Before the championship game of the 2023 tournament, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the next World Baseball Classic would be held in2026.Sixteen teams qualified by making the top four of their four respective pools during the2023tournament. The other four remaining participants will be determined through the qualifying tournament scheduled for 2025.

In May 2024, it was announced that the pool play rounds will be played inMiami, Florida;Houston, Texas;San Juan, Puerto Rico;andTokyo, Japan.The quarterfinals will be split between Miami and Houston, and the final round will be played in Miami.

Format

See also:World Baseball Classic Rules

The World Baseball Classic is held during the month of March, coinciding with thespring trainingpre-season for most top-level professional baseball leagues such asMajor League Baseball(MLB),Nippon Professional Baseball(NPB) and theKBO League.Venues are located in either indoor baseball domes or at outdoor baseball stadiums which have mild or moderately warm temperatures during early spring.

Number of MLB26-man playersby country (or possession) (2022)

Rank	Country (or possession)	#	%
1	United States	1,057	70.7%
2	Dominican Republic	171	11.4%
3	Venezuela	106	7.1%
4	Cuba	33	2.2%
5	Puerto Rico	28	1.9%
6	Mexico	24	1.6%
7	Canada	15	1%
8	Colombia	13	0.9%
9	Panama	9	0.6%
10	Japan	7	0.5%
11	South Korea	6	0.4%
12	Curaçao	5	0.3%
13	Australia Germany	3	0.2%
15	Multiple	2	0.1%
18	Multiple	1	0.1%

Despite the absence of many elite MLB pitchers due to exposure or conditioning limits set by their club employers and insuranceunderwritingissues and non-standardization,the tournament continues to attract a star-studded field of elite baseball players, particularly among position players who are potentbatters.

In 2006, many high caliber players from bothMajor League Baseballand in leagues around the world participated in the World Baseball Classic. Amongst the players that made the All–WBC team were AmericansDerek JeterandKen Griffey Jr.From Japan,Daisuke Matsuzaka,Ichiro SuzukiandTomoya Satozakiwere on the team. Other internationals included players from Cuba—Yulieski Gurriel,Yoandy GarloboandYadel Martí;and from the Dominican Republic—Albert Pujols,Pedro MartínezandJosé Bautista.The 2009 Classic saw a similarly high-profile field, with a number of players such asHall of FamersPedro Martínez,Iván RodríguezandChipper Jonesand the major international debuts of Cuba'sYoenis CéspedesandAroldis Chapman.

For the 2013 tournament, Japanese players threatened to boycott the event despite its domestic popularity,before later agreeing to take part after reaching a compromise in September 2012 with tournament organizers on sharing sponsorship and licensing revenue.Nevertheless, many key players from the 2009 Japanese team such asYu Darvish,Ichiro, andHisashi Iwakumadecided not to participate. However, other prominent MLB players accepted selections from their national teams, such asMiguel Cabrera,David Wright,R. A. Dickey,Joey Votto,Adrián González,Robinson Canó,andJosé Reyes,among many others.

In 2017, former All-Stars such asAdam Jones,Chris Archer,Buster Posey,Paul Goldschmidt,Andrew McCutchenand others played for the United States. For the Dominican Republic, former All-StarsAdrián Beltré,Robinson Canó,Manny Machado,José Reyes,Edinson Vólquez,and more participated.Adrián Gonzálezplayed once more for Mexico, andYadier MolinaandCarlos Beltránrepresented Puerto Rico alongside up-and-coming stars such asJavier Báez,Carlos Correa,andFrancisco Lindor.Venezuela's roster includedJosé AltuveandMiguel Cabrera.

In 2023, former All-Stars on the U.S. team includedMike Trout,Nolan Arenado,Pete Alonso,Mookie Betts,Tim Anderson,Jeff McNeil,J. T. Realmuto,Kyle Schwarber,Trea Turner,Kyle Tucker,Ryan Pressly,Lance Lynn,Miles Mikolas,andPaul Goldschmidt.St Louis CardinalsteammatesLars NootbaarandTommy Edmanboth participated as part ofJapanandSouth Korearespectively, in honor of both their mothers' heritages.Similarly,Los Angeles DodgersplayerFreddie Freemandecided to play forCanadainstead, in honor of his late mother.Randy Arozarena,despite being Cuban, opted to play for Mexico instead after the WBC rules allowed players who legally were residents in a country to play for that country, having asked Mexican presidentAndrés Manuel López Obradorto help him in his case for approval of his application as a legal citizen of Mexico.

Participation

See also:2026 World Baseball Classic

Flag of theWorld Baseball Softball Confederation(WBSC)

The first two iterations of the Classic featured the same 16 teams, chosen by invitation. A qualifying round was added leading into the 2013 tournament and takes place in the year before the WBC proper.BrazilandSpainwere the first new countries to earn berths in the WBC via qualification, and so far the addition of qualifying has allowed seven nations to play in the tournament who were not part of the original 16.

The qualification setup for the 2013 and 2017 WBCs featured the top 12 finishing teams from the previous WBC being automatically entered in the following edition, while the four lowest finishers (the teams that finished in last place in their first-round pools) were relegated to the qualifying round. Qualifying consisted of four four-teammodified double-eliminationtournaments, with the winners earning the last four slots in the main tournament.

With the 2023 WBC expanding to 20 teams, the qualifying format changed as well. All 16 participants from the 2017 WBC received automatic bids. The restructured qualifying round consisted of a pair of six-team double-elimination tournaments, from which the winners and runners-up advanced to play in the 2023 WBC.

Trophy

See also:World Baseball Classic Trophy

Broadcasting and promotion

See also:World Baseball Classic television ratings

The tournament is one of the world's most viewed baseball events.The 2023 tournament was broadcast in 163 territories through 63 media partners, and it was broadcast in 13 languages around the globe.and received US$100 million in benefits,InJapan,nearly 100 million people watched the WBC in 2023,and 55+ million people watched the end of the tournament, asShohei Ohtanistruck outMike Trout.The tournament is one of the most popular events in theCaribbean,CentralandSouth America,particularly inVenezuela,part of NorthernColombiaand is called the "Clásico Mundial".The match between theDominican RepublicandPuerto Ricois considered a strong rivalry, called "El Clásico".In 2023, the Pool D game betweenPuerto Ricoand theDominican Republicwas viewed by 62% of households in Puerto Rico.

Attendance

See also:List of sports attendance figures

World Baseball Classic attendance:

Year	Total attendance	# games	Avg attendance
2006	737,112	39	18,900
2009	801,408	39	20,549
2013	781,438	39	20,037
2017	973,699	40	24,342
2023	1,165,857	47	24,805

World Baseball Classic qualifier attendance:

Year	Total attendance	# Games	Avg attendance
2013	103,774	24	4,324
2017	111,795	24	4,658
2023	26,080	18	1,449

Venues

While comparable tournaments traditionally have had one host country, each WBC has used multiple hosts spread around different parts of the world. Thus far, seven different countries have hosted at least one WBC pool, with each edition of the tournament featuring games played in Asia, Latin America, and the United States. However, the championship round has always been held atMajor League Baseball stadiumsin the United States.

Tokyo

New Taipei City

Taichung

New York City

Jupiter

Mexicali

Phoenix

Orlando

Miami

San Francisco

San Diego

Los Angeles

Houston

San Juan

Panama City

Regensburg

Sydney

Toronto

Mexico City

Fukuoka

Seoul

Zapopan

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Qualifier

WBC venue

Bold:Championship venue

Round	2006	2009	2013	2017	2023	2026	2030
Qualification			Regensburg Panama City Taiwan Jupiter	Sydney Panama City Mexicali New York City	Regensburg Panama City
Pool stage	Tokyo San Juan Orlando Phoenix Scottsdale	Toronto Tokyo Mexico City San Juan	Fukuoka San Juan Taichung Phoenix Scottsdale	Tokyo Zapopan Seoul Miami	Tokyo Taichung Miami Phoenix	Tokyo San Juan Miami Houston
Knockout stage	San Juan Anaheim	San Diego Miami	Tokyo Miami	Tokyo San Diego	Tokyo Miami	Houston Miami
Championship	San Diego	Los Angeles	San Francisco	Los Angeles	Miami	Miami

Results

Keys

• F/N:result/match won afterextra inningsormercy rule,whereNis the total number of innings in the match
• TBD: to be determined

Ed.	Year	Hosts		First place game				Semi-finalists			T
				Champions	Score	Runners-up		Third place	Fourth place
1	2006	United States Japan Puerto Rico		Japan	10–6 Petco Park,San Diego	Cuba		South Korea	Dominican Republic		16
2	2009	United States Canada Japan Mexico Puerto Rico		Japan	5–3 (F/10) Dodger Stadium,Los Angeles	South Korea		United States	Venezuela		16
3	2013	United States Japan Puerto Rico Taiwan		Dominican Republic	3–0 AT&T Park,San Francisco	Puerto Rico		Japan	Netherlands		16
4	2017	United States Japan Mexico South Korea		United States	8–0 Dodger Stadium,Los Angeles	Puerto Rico		Japan	Netherlands		16
5	2023	United States Japan Taiwan		Japan	3–2 LoanDepot Park,Miami	United States		Mexico	Cuba		20
6	2026	United States Japan Puerto Rico		To be determined				To be determined			20

Performance of nations

See also:National team appearances in the World Baseball Classic

Team	2006 (16)	2009 (16)	2013 (16)	2017 (16)	2023 (20)	Total
Australia	R1 13th	R1 12th	R1 16th	R1 9th	QF 7th	5
Brazil	×	×	R1 14th	•	•	1
Canada	R1 9th	R1 13th	R1 12th	R1 15th	R1 12th	5
China	R1 15th	R1 11th	R1 13th	R1 16th	R1 20th	5
Chinese Taipei	R1 12th	R1 14th	R2 8th	R1 14th	R1 17th	5
Colombia	×	×	•	R1 11th	R1 18th	2
Cuba	2nd	R2 6th	R2 5th	R2 7th	4th	5
Czech Republic	×	×	•	•	R1 14th	1
Dominican Republic	4th	R1 9th	1st	R2 5th	R1 10th	5
Great Britain	×	×	•	•	R1 15th	1
Israel	×	×	•	R2 6th	R1 16th	2
Italy	R1 10th	R1 10th	R2 7th	R1 12th	QF 8th	5
Japan	1st	1st	3rd	3rd	1st	5
Mexico	R2 6th	R2 8th	R1 11th	R1 13th	3rd	5
Netherlands	R1 11th	R2 7th	4th	4th	R1 11th	5
Nicaragua	×	×	•	•	R1 19th	1
Panama	R1 14th	R1 15th	•	•	R1 13th	3
Puerto Rico	R2 5th	R2 5th	2nd	2nd	QF 6th	5
South Africa	R1 16th	R1 16th	•	•	•	2
South Korea	3rd	2nd	R1 9th	R1 10th	R1 9th	5
Spain	×	×	R1 15th	•	•	1
United States	R2 8th	4th	R2 6th	1st	2nd	5
Venezuela	R2 7th	3rd	R1 10th	R2 8th	QF 5th	5
Team	2006 (16)	2009 (16)	2013 (16)	2017 (16)	2023 (20)	Total

Legend

• 1st– Champions
• 2nd– Runners-up
• 3rd– Third place
• 4th– Fourth place
• QF – Quarterfinals (2023–present)
• R2 – Round 2 (2006–2017: second round)
• R1 – Round 1 (2006–2017: first round, 2023–present: pool stage)
• – Relegated to qualification tournament
• Q – Qualified
• •– Did not qualify
• ×– Did not enter

Debut of national teams

Year	Debutants	Total	CT
2006	Australia,Canada,China,Chinese Taipei,Cuba,Dominican Republic,Italy,Japan,Mexico,Netherlands,Panama,Puerto Rico,South Korea,South Africa,United States,Venezuela	16	16
2009	None	0	16
2013	Brazil,Spain	2	18
2017	Colombia,Israel	2	20
2023	Great Britain,Czech Republic,Nicaragua	3	23
2026	TBD	–	–

Overview

Team	Apps	Record streak	Active streak	Debut	Most recent	Best result
Australia	5	5	5	2006	2023	Quarterfinals (2023)
Canada	5	5	5	2006	2023	Pool stage
China	5	5	5	2006	2023	Pool stage
Chinese Taipei	5	5	5	2006	2023	Quarterfinals (2013)
Cuba	5	5	5	2006	2023	Runners-up (2006)
Dominican Republic	5	5	5	2006	2023	Champions (2013)
Italy	5	5	5	2006	2023	Quarterfinals (2013,2023)
Japan	5	5	5	2006	2023	Champions (2006,2009,2023)
Mexico	5	5	5	2006	2023	Third place (2023)
Netherlands	5	5	5	2006	2023	Fourth place (2013,2017)
Puerto Rico	5	5	5	2006	2023	Runners-up (2013,2017)
South Korea	5	5	5	2006	2023	Runners-up (2009)
United States	5	5	5	2006	2023	Champions (2017)
Venezuela	5	5	5	2006	2023	Third place (2009)
Panama	3	2	1	2006	2023	Pool stage
South Africa	2	2	0	2006	2009	Pool stage
Colombia	2	2	2	2017	2023	Pool stage
Israel	2	2	2	2017	2023	Quarterfinals (2017)
Brazil	1	1	0	2013	2013	Pool stage
Spain	1	1	0	2013	2013	Pool stage
Great Britain	1	1	1	2023	2023	Pool stage
Czech Republic	1	1	1	2023	2023	Pool stage
Nicaragua	1	1	1	2023	2023	Pool stage

Honors

Most Valuable Player

Daisuke Matsuzakais the only player to twice win the WBC MVP

The inaugural winner of the award in 2006 was Japan'sDaisuke Matsuzaka,who pitched 13inningsand finished with a 3–0 record. Soon after this performance, Matsuzaka received a multimillion-dollar contract to join theBoston Red Soxof America'sMajor League Baseball.Again in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Matsuzaka received the world classic MVP, finishing with a record of 3–0 and anERAof 2.54. In 2013,Robinson Canówon MVP after hitting.469 with two home runs and six RBI over the course of the tournament.Toronto Blue JayspitcherMarcus Stromantook home the award in 2017 for the United States. Stroman posted a 2.35 ERA over three starts and no-hit Puerto Rico through six innings in an 8–0 win in the Finals.In 2023,Los Angeles Angelstwo-waysuperstarShohei Ohtaniclaimed MVP honors afterslashing.435/.606/.739 as a hitter and posting a 1.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 92⁄3innings as a pitcher, also pitching the final inning of Japan's win over the US in the final.

Year	Player	Position	Nationality
2006	Daisuke Matsuzaka	Starting pitcher	Japan
2009	Daisuke Matsuzaka	Starting pitcher	Japan
2013	Robinson Canó	Second baseman	Dominican Republic
2017	Marcus Stroman	Starting pitcher	United States
2023	Shohei Ohtani	Starting pitcher Designated hitter	Japan

All-WBC teams

At the end of each edition of the World Baseball Classic, anall-starteam is selected based on their play in the tournament. Three pitchers, eight other position players (one each at each position, including three outfielders), and a designated hitter are named to the team. Japanese pitcherDaisuke Matsuzaka,Puerto Rican catcherYadier Molinaand Puerto Rican shortstopJavier Báezare the only players to be named to the All–WBC team twice. Japanese two-way playerShohei Ohtaniis the only player to be named to the All-WBC team at two separate positions, having been named to the 2023 team as both a designated hitter and a pitcher.

Pos.	2006	2009	2013	2017	2023
C	Tomoya Satozaki	Iván Rodríguez	Yadier Molina	Yadier Molina	Salvador Pérez
1B	Seung-yuop Lee	Tae-kyun Kim	Edwin Encarnación	Eric Hosmer	Yu Chang
2B	Yulieski Gourriel	José López	Robinson Canó	Javier Báez	Javier Báez
3B	Adrián Beltré	Bum-ho Lee	David Wright	Carlos Correa	Yoán Moncada
SS	Derek Jeter	Jimmy Rollins	José Reyes	Francisco Lindor	Trea Turner
OF	Ken Griffey Jr.	Norichika Aoki	Nelson Cruz	Wladimir Balentien	Randy Arozarena
	Jong-beom Lee	Frederich Cepeda	Ángel Pagán	Gregory Polanco	Mike Trout
	Ichiro Suzuki	Yoenis Céspedes	Michael Saunders	Christian Yelich	Masataka Yoshida
DH	Yoandy Garlobo	Hyun-soo Kim	Hirokazu Ibata	Carlos Beltrán	Shohei Ohtani
P	Yadel Martí	Jung-keun Bong	Nelson Figueroa	Kodai Senga	Shohei Ohtani
	Daisuke Matsuzaka	Hisashi Iwakuma	Kenta Maeda	Marcus Stroman	Patrick Sandoval
	Chan Ho Park	Daisuke Matsuzaka	Fernando Rodney	Josh Zeid	Miguel Romero

Overall, players representing 12 countries have been named to an All-WBC team, with Japan leading the way with 12 representatives.

Puerto Rico'sYadier Molinais tied for the most All-WBC Team selections (2)

Rank	2006	2009	2013	2017	2023	Total
Japan	3	3	2	1	3	12
Puerto Rico	0	1	3	5	1	10
United States	2	1	1	3	2	9
Dominican Republic	1	0	5	1	0	7
South Korea	3	4	0	0	0	7
Cuba	3	2	0	0	2	7
Mexico	0	0	0	0	2	2
Venezuela	0	1	0	0	1	2
Canada	0	0	1	0	0	1
Israel	0	0	0	1	0	1
Netherlands	0	0	0	1	0	1
Chinese Taipei	0	0	0	0	1	1

Statistical leaders

All-time WBC individual leaders in various statistical categories through the end of the 2023 tournament, excluding qualifier games.

Batting

Statistic	Player	Total
Hits	Frederich Cepeda	32
Home runs	Alfredo Despaigne	7
Runs batted in	Frederich Cepeda	23
Runs scored	Frederich Cepeda	19
Doubles	Frederich Cepeda Justin Morneau	8
Triples	Yoenis Cespedes	3
Strikeouts	Carlos Beltrán	20
Stolen bases	5 tied with	5
Games played	Carlos Beltrán	28
At-bats	Carlos Beltrán	95

Pitching

Statistic	Player	Total
Wins	Daisuke Matsuzaka	6
Losses	Hung-wen Chen	3
Games	Fernando Rodney	15
Starts	Daisuke Matsuzaka Edinson Volquez	6
Saves	Fernando Rodney	8
Innings pitched	Diegomar Markwell	28.0
Hits allowed	Diegomar Markwell	30
Runs allowed	Barry Armitage	14
Earned runs allowed	Barry Armitage David Bergman	12
Walks	Edinson Volquez	11
Strikeouts	Daisuke Matsuzaka	23

See also

• World Baseball Classic Inc.
• World Baseball Classic Trophy
• World Baseball Softball Confederation
• WBSC Americas
• WBSC Asia
• WBSC Europe
• WBSC Oceania
• WBSC Africa
• MLB International
• Kodak World Baseball Classic,a 1972 minor league tournament with the same name
• Baseball awards § World

External links

• Official website