2023 World Baseball Classic Betting
The World Baseball Classic returns this year for the first time since 2017. After the 2021 WBC was postponed because of the pandemic. The tournament is back from March 8-21 at four locations this year. The Championship Game will be played March 21 at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.
The WBC showcases the top talent in the world in a best-on-best tournament, part of MLB’s efforts to grow the game globally. Japan won the inaugural WBC in 2006 and repeated as champions in 2009. The Dominican Republic won the 2013 WBC, and the United States won the 2017 WBC. Japan has finished in no lower than third place in all four WBCs.
2023 World Baseball Classic
Dates: March 8–21, 2023
Host Countries: Japan, Taiwan, United States
Teams: 20
2023 World Baseball Classic Overview
For the first time, the WBC will feature 20 teams this year, up from 16 in the previous four tournaments. There are three rounds to the WBC: Pool Play, the Quarterfinal Round, and the Championship Round.
Each team plays the other four in its pool once during Pool Play. And the teams with the two best records advance to the Quarterfinal Round. There are no tiebreaker games in the WBC. Instead, the team that won the head-to-head game holds the tiebreaker, and if there's a massive tie between three or more teams, teams are ranked using the following tiebreaker criteria until the tie is broken:
The lowest quotient of the fewest runs allowed is divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in games between the tied teams.
The lowest quotient of the fewest earned runs allowed is divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in games between the tied teams.
Highest batting average in games in that round between the teams tied.
Now that the WBC has expanded to 20 teams, a relegation system is in place. The last place team in each pool following Pool Play will be relegated and have to play in a qualifier tournament to secure a spot in the next WBC. The top four teams in each pool are given automatic berths into the next WBC. That means any games between teams that have already been eliminated from advancing to the Quarterfinal Round are meaningful.
After all that, two teams advance out of each pool in Pool Play, leaving eight teams total. From there, it's a single-elimination eight-team bracket, and the last team standing wins the WBC.
Each team will play at least four games this WBC, and the last two teams standing will each play seven games. There will be a total of 47 games played during the 2023 WBC. Fox Sports holds exclusive broadcasting rights in the U.S. and will show every WBC game on the Fox Sports family of networks.
World Baseball Classic Winners
| YEAR |
WINNER |
RUNNER-UP |
| 2017 |
United States |
Puerto Rico |
| 2013 |
Dominican Republic |
Puerto Rico |
| 2009 |
Japan |
South Korea |
| 2006 |
Japan |
Cuba |
World Baseball Classic Origins
The World Baseball Classic was established back in 2005. Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, and other baseball leagues and player associations worldwide collaborated on putting the exhibition together. The result was a tournament that anoints the tournament's winner as “World Champion.”
World Baseball Classic History
The first 16-team WBC occurred back in 2006 and then again in 2009. Japan ended up winning in both years. The separation was increased to four seasons, with the tournament's third installment resurfacing in 2013. After winning all eight of its games, the Dominican Republic marched onto the title. The tourney picked back up in 2017, a tournament the United States won for its first WBC championship.
While not all players participating in the WBC play in MLB, many of them do, so it gives fans of the sport the first glimpse of their favorite players since the previous season’s World Series. Notables from previous World Baseball Classics include Daisuke Matsuzaka and Robinson Cano. Dice-K won the MVP Award in the first two installments of the tournament after leading Japan to back-to-back titles. Marcus Stroman's strong performance in the 2017 World Baseball Classic earned him the MVP honor for the Americans.
Other participating notables include Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki, Albert Pujols, Pedro Martinez, Ivan Rodriguez, Yoenis Cespedes, Aroldis Chapman, Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, and Adrian Gonzalez. As you can see, some of the current best players and Hall of Famers have partaken in the festivities, so this isn’t your average run-of-the-mill exhibition.
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