Lead Story - 11/16/2024

World Baseball Classic Information

The first rounds of the tournament are played in a round-robin format, with each team playing every team in their pool once. The second round will be a semi-double-elimination tournament before the remainder of the knockout round. The way the games are scheduled (four games in five days) allow for one "off day" per team in the first round (with the exception of Pool B, who will play four games in SIX days). Days off will be given to all remaining teams after Day 8 and Day 12.

In theory, you should have four starters lined up in the first round, three scheduled for the second round, and then two for the Championship Round. Some teams may have more than four starters currently. Please message me if you would like to change someone from a starter to a reliever (it will be a simple SP to RP, not using the converter as used for (SAR)MLB).

Any head-to-head ties will be broken statistically by head-to-head record, but multi-way ties will be broken in the following order:

1. Run differential
2. Runs scored
3. Runs per game scored-runs

The top two in each pool will move on to the second round. The winners of Pool A and Pool B will play in Pool E, while the winners of Pool C and Pool D will play in Pool F. The winners and runners-up of Pool F will move to the championship round.

Venues

Pool A: Newmont Goldcorp Park (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Pool B: Es Con Field Hokkaido (Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido, Japan)
Pool C: Estadio Quisqueya (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
Pool D: Miami Park (Miami, FL, USA)

Pool E: Newmont Goldcorp Park (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Pool F: AT&T Park (San Francisco, CA, USA)

Semifinals/Finals: Petco Park (San Diego, CA, USA)

Schedule (Times EDT/EST) (Sim Times next to day numbers, times NEXT to numbers are simply simulating first pitch times if it were real)

First Round

Tuesday

Day 1 (10am)
11pm: South Korea @ France (Pool B)
6am: Ireland @ Japan (Pool B)

Day 2 (1pm)
11pm: Ireland @ South Korea (Pool B)
6am: Trinidad and Tobago @ Japan (Pool B)

Day 3 (5pm)
11pm: France @ Ireland (Pool B)
6am: South Korea @ Trinidad and Tobago (Pool B)
4pm: Greece @ African Nations (Pool A)
10pm: Italy @ Canada (Pool A)

Day 4 (9pm)
11pm: Trinidad and Tobago @ France (Pool B)
6am: Japan @ South Korea (Pool B)
12pm: Puerto Rico @ Mexico (Pool C)
1pm: Serbia @ Great Britain (Pool D)
4pm: Germany @ Italy (Pool A)
6pm: Spain @ Dominican Republic (Pool C)
7pm: Cuba @ United States (Pool D)
10pm: Greece @ Canada (Pool A)

Wednesday

Day 5 (10am)
6am: Ireland @ Trinidad and Tobago (Pool B)
12pm: Peru @ Puerto Rico (Pool C)
1pm: Cuba @ Serbia (Pool D)
4pm: Greece @ Germany (Pool A)
6pm: Mexico @ Dominican Republic (Pool C)
7pm: Russia Federation @ United States (Pool D)
10pm: African Nations @ Canada (Pool A)

Day 6 (1pm)
6am: France @ Japan (Pool B)
12pm: Spain @ Mexico (Pool C)
1pm: Serbia @ Russia Federation (Pool D)
4pm: Italy @ Greece (Pool A)
6pm: Dominican Republic @ Peru (Pool C)
7pm: Great Britain @ Cuba (Pool D)
10pm: Germany @ African Nations (Pool A)

Day 7 (5pm)

12pm: Peru @ Spain (Pool C)
1pm: Russia Federation @ Great Britain (Pool D)
4pm: Canada @ Germany (Pool A)
6pm: Puerto Rico @ Dominican Republic (Pool C)
7pm: United States @ Serbia (Pool D)
10pm: African Nations @ Italy (Pool A)

Day 8 (8pm)
12pm: Mexico @ Peru (Pool C)
1pm: Cuba @ Russia Federation (Pool D)
3pm: Spain @ Puerto Rico (Pool C)
7pm: Great Britain @ United States (Pool D)

Second Round

Thursday

Day 9 (2pm)
7pm: Germany @ Japan (Pool E)
10pm: France @ Canada (Pool E)

Day 10 (4pm)

3pm: Great Britain @ Dominican Republic (Pool F)
4pm: (Winner to Semifinals) Germany @ Canada (Pool E)
8pm: Puerto Rico @ United States (Pool F)
10pm: (Elimination Game) France @ Japan (Pool E)

Day 11 (6pm)

4pm: (Winner to Semifinals) Great Britain @ United States (Pool F)
8pm: (Winner to Semifinals) Japan @ Canada (Pool E)
10pm: (Elimination Game) Puerto Rico @ Dominican Republic (Pool F)

Day 12 (9pm)
8:30pm: (Winner to Semifinals) Dominican Republic @ United States (Pool F)

Day Off

Championship Round

Friday

Day 13 (1pm)
8pm: United States @ Germany

Day 14 (8pm)
8pm: Samurai Japan @ Great Britain

Saturday

Day 15 (Championship) (8pm)
8pm: USA/GER vs. JPN/GB

Auxiliary Information

Commentators

Pool A: Joe Vasile, Ian Cretella (PBS/World); Avery Hamel, Pat Burkhart, Pablo Childs (TSN/Canada)
Pool B: Brian Schlosser, Wayne Mack (PBS/World)
Pool C: Thomas Gamba, Jose Flores (PBS/World)
Pool D: Miguel Escobar II, Sean Macelroy, Curtis Granderson (NBC); Mike Monaco, Versailles Ellison (PBS/World)

Pool E: Joe Vasile, Ian Cretella (PBS/World); Avery Hamel, Pat Burkhart, Pablo Childs (TSN/Canada, if applicable)
Pool F: Miguel Escobar II, Sean Macelroy, Curtis Granderson (NBC); Mike Monaco, Versailles Ellison (PBS/World)

Championship: Miguel Escobar II, Sean Macelroy, Curtis Granderson (NBC); Mike Monaco, Versailles Ellison (PBS/World); Avery Hamel, Pat Burkhart, Pablo Childs (TSN/Canada, if applicable)