After a long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the passion of baseball lovers begins. The best exponents of that sport participate in the event, including players from the most outstanding professional leagues in the world. In the tournament, 20 teams from the five continents will try to reach the final, which will take place in Miami, United States, on March 21.
After more than a year of delay due to the pandemic, this March 8 the world of sports began to revolve around a baseball. Not for nothing, this year’s slogan is “it’s back” or “está de vuelta”, in Spanish. 20 teams from the five continents will compete for the universal glory of the discipline in the fifth World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The importance of this baseball competition (as baseball is also known) lies in the fact that it is the only one that, by agreement of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation, awards the title of world champion to the winner. It is the only space where players who play in the major American leagues can represent their countries, although not all WBC attendees play there.
El Clásico gained more relevance after the absence of baseball in the Olympic Games, after the summer event in Beijing 2008.
Nations like Israel, Australia, the Czech Republic, Israel, Great Britain, the Netherlands, among others, join baseball powers like the United States, Japan, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba. This shows that the fans and the practice of baseball has grown considerably in recent years.
Four venues around the world host five teams each. Cuba (three-time Olympic champion and WBC runner-up in 2006), the Netherlands, Italy, Panama and the host, Taiwan, play in Taiwan, the venue for group A. In group B, which will play in Tokyo, they will face South Korea (Olympic champion in 2008 and WBC runner-up in 2009), Australia, China, the Czech Republic and Japan (the most winner in the WBC with two championships, in 2006 and 2009, and current Olympic champion).
For its part, on the other side of the world, the United States (defending WBC champions) will host two groups. The state of Arizona receives group C, where the Americans (also Olympic champions in 2000) will face off against Mexico, Canada, Great Britain and Colombia, a country that for several years It has been standing out in front of historical ensembles.
And in group D, the home of the Miami Marlins, in Florida, they will play the Dominican Republic (WBC champion in 2013), Puerto Rico (finalist twice in 2013 and 2017), Venezuela, Nicaragua and Israel. Connoisseurs of the subject point to this as the most interesting and most difficult key to achieve a quota for the upper phase.
Some curious aspects to take into account
It is not only the game that attracts the public, but also the stories that are woven behind each team.
The participation of the whole of “unified” Cuba is considered historical. Since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, it was decided to convert the existing professional baseball league into an amateur one. Over the years, many left the island (irregularly) to fulfill their dream of playing professionally, mainly in the North American league, known as Major League Baseball.
Cuba did without these players until 2023, when it called on several stars from the major American leagues to represent “the four letters”, due to the poor performance that the sport has shown on the island in recent years.
The focus has also focused on the Czech Republic team, a group that stands out for the professions of those who will represent the European nation. Trades such as a firefighter, a geography teacher, or a neurologist are the daily jobs of those who wear the shirt of the Central European nation.
The team “Cinderella”as many already call it, came to the WBC through the wide door in the European qualifiers, beating France, South Africa, Germany and Spain, the latter made up of former major league players and current prospects.
“Round ball in a square box”
“The ball is round and comes in a square box,” fans say about how unpredictable the game can be. More, when all teams bring together the best that they have on hand.
Analysts predict a difficult tournament, especially for the United States, which is presented with the aim of repeating the 2017 title. The American Union presented a “dream team” or “dream team”, full of the best active hitters in their league, just to cite an example.
A list of nations intends to wrest the trophy from their hands, such as the Dominican Republic, with a team considered one of the best formed in that territory. Japan also armed itself with the best of its domestic and international league, such as Shohei Ohtani, considered the best active player in the world and who plays in Major League Baseball in the United States.
Both Venezuela and Puerto Rico also have that goal. The first arrives hungry for victory, after failing to advance to the final phase with teams that have been frightening, since 2006, any opponent. The second, will try to break the curse with the popular saying that “the third time is the charm”, trying not only to get to discuss the trophy, but to win it.
More than pitching and hitting
Every sport has its rules. Everything in baseball is adjustable, except the duration, an aspect that makes it less attractive to the crowds. In this sense, over the years a series of changes have been introduced to speed up the development of the match.
That is why the traditional rule of the “knockout” will be applied in the event, a victory option for the team that leads the opponent by 10 runs after seven innings played and the “super knockout”, a similar victory, but with 15 difference scores after the fifth inning.
In the event of a tie in the tenth inning (extra game period), a runner will be placed on second base, a kind of advantage to facilitate the end of the game.
The use of launchers also has limitations. If a pitcher throws 50 pitches he can’t play until four days later. The rest will be one day in the case of 30 hauls. If he goes out to the field two days in a row, he must also rest one day.
These, among other rules, are key when weaving the team’s strategy, which also makes the game interesting.
This year the organizers hope that the attendance record that is set in each edition will be broken. Another sign that the taste for baseball is growing.
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