World Baseball Classic (WBC) Kicks off This Week

 For the first time since 2017, the WBC gets underway this week.  The most recent installment of the Olympic style event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  This baseball extravaganza began in 2006 with 16 countries participating.  Since then, the event has expanded to 20 teams that has included several Major League players.  Such a worldwide event is meant to broaden and expand interest in the game.

The 5th edition of the World Baseball Classic will feature teams from around the Globe, including Japan, Chinese Taipei, the Netherlands, Israel, and the USA, among others.   Popular players like Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish, Paul Goldschmidt, and Mike Trout will be competing for their respective countries.  The 30 man rosters for each ball club can consist of 10 Major League players, or 15 athletes from any MLB organization.  Without a doubt, this tournament will feature some of the greatest baseball talent from around the world.

The 2023 version of the 2023 WBC will feature 4 pools of 5 teams.  The first round of games will be a round robin format, with the top two teams from each division advancing, which eventually devolves into an 8 team single elimination playoff.  At the conclusion of the process a World Baseball Classic Champion is crowned.  This year, Japan, Chinese Tapei, and the United States are among the favorites to come out on top.  Will the prognosticators be proven right, or will another squad emerge victorious.

For the most part, the WBC will use MLB rules to govern its play, with a few exceptions.  Firstly, the tournament will be without the newly implanted Major League pitch clock.  Furthermore, there will be no 6 visit mound visit limit in effect.  Additionally, the newly introduced ban on shifts on the field will not be utilized during these games.  This ban mandated that 2 players remain on the 2nd base side of the bag, and 2 players must be on the shortstop side.  However, rules such as the ghost runner on 2nd base after 9 regulation innings will be a part of the format.  Though the rules may be slightly varied, the foundations of  the game should be on full display.

In an effort to give the game more worldwide exposure, the World Baseball Classic was developed.  To attract the largest audience possible, the greatest players in the world were urged to participate.  This meant that some of the best Major Leaguers had the opportunity to play for their country.  Generally, most players asked jumped at the chance to represent their homeland.  Therefore, baseball had opportunity to become more popular, and participation could increase exponentially.