The World Baseball Classic
Introduction
As a way to encourage baseball across the globe, MLB created an international baseball tournament.
The World Baseball Classic
20 countries have competed throughout the 13 years of its' existence. The tournament was created after baseball was taken out of the Olympics. The winner of the tournament is crowned the top baseball country and team until the next tournament, four years later.
To qualify for the tournament, teams are judged of off their previous performance in the tournament, and the top 12 teams are automatically qualified. The other teams must play in qualifying rounds, where they enter a larger pool of countries. The teams are then divided into four pools, and the winner of each pool then qualifies.
Basics about the Tournament
- One champion
- Four Rounds
- Six Pools
First Round
In the first round, four pools of four teams play each other- each team playing three games. The top two teams from each of the pools advance. There are now eight teams.
Second Round
In the second round, the eight teams split into two pools of four teams. Each team plays three games again. The top two teams from each pool advances. There are now four teams.
Third Round
In the third round, the winner of Pool E plays the runner-up of Pool F and the winner of Pool F plays the runner-up of Pool E. The winners of these two games advance to the championship.
Fourth Round
The fourth round is the championship game, so the two teams play each other to determine who is crowned the world champion.