WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC TO AIR ON ESPN AMERICA

Matt Bell

17 years ago

The World Baseball Classic, the game’s premier international tournament, is to air exclusively live on ESPN America (Sky Channel 417 & Virgin Media Channel 533) from Thursday 5^th March. Featuring sixteen of the greatest baseball-playing nations from around the globe, the tournament will see the best players in the world – like Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, Ichiro Suzuki and Jose Reyes – compete against each other as they represent their home countries. ESPN America will broadcast live and as-live coverage of the opening round, round two, semi-finals and the final.

The World Baseball Classic will be played in five countries around the world. The 2009 tournament will begin on Thursday 5^th March when Japan play China in Tokyo (at 9.30 am UK time). The teams start in the following groups:

Pool A

Venue: Tokyo, Japan

Pool B

Venue: Mexico City, Mexico

Pool C

Venue: Toronto, Canada

Pool D

Venue: San Juan, Puerto Rico

China

Chinese Taipei

Japan

Korea

Australia

Cuba

Mexico

South Africa

Canada

Italy

United States

Venezuela

Dominican Republic

Netherlands

Panama

Puerto Rico

Round Two games will be played in PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres, and Dolphin Stadium, home of the Florida Marlins. The four advancing teams from Pools A and B will compete in San Diego from March 15 – 19, and the four teams emerging from Pools C and D will contend in Miami. ESPN America will also air the Semi-Final and Final Games live from historic Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on March 21, 22 and 23.

At the last World Baseball Classic, in March 2006, 486 players – 235 of them from MLB organisations – representing 16 teams from across the globe competed in the inaugural event. More than 740,000 fans from 48 US states and 15 countries attended games and millions more watched on TV as Japan were crowned the first-ever World Baseball Classic Champions. From 2009, the tournament will be held every four years hereafter, with plans in place to expand the participant field beginning in 2013.

FULL LIVE MATCH SCHEDULE ON ESPN AMERICA

Round 1

Group A

5^th March at 9:30am – Game #1 – China v Japan

6^th March at 9:30am – Game #2 – Chinese Taipei v Korea

6^th March at 3:30am – Game #3 – Game #1 Loser v Game #2 Loser

7^th March at 10:00am – Game #4 – Game #1 Winner v Game #2 Winner

8^th March at 9:30am – Game #5 – Game #3 Winner v Game #4 Loser

9^th March at 9:30am – Game #6 – Game #4 Winner v Game #5 Winner

Group B

8^thMarch at 3am – Game #1 – Australia v Mexico

9^th March at 2:00am – Game #3 – Game #1 Loser v Game #2 Loser

10^th March at 2:00am – Game #4 – Game #1 Winner v Game #2 Winner

11^th March at 2:00am – Game #5 – Game #3 Winner v Game #4 Loser

Group C

7^th March at 7:00pm – USA v Canada

7^th March at 1:00am – Italy v Venezuela

8^th March at 12:00am – Game #3 – Game #1 Loser v Game #2 Loser

9^th March at 10:30pm – Game #4 – Game #1 Winner v Game #2 Winner

10^th March at 9:00pm – Game #5 – Game #3 Loser v Game #4 Winner

11^th March at 9:00pm – Game #6 – Game #4 Winner v Game #5 Winner

Group D

7^th March at 10:00pm – Netherlands v Dominican Republic

8^th March at 8:30pm – Game #3 – Game #1 Loser v Game #2 Loser

10^th March at 12:00am – Game #5 – Game #3 Winner v Game #4 Loser

11^th March at 12:00am – Game #6 – Game #4 Winner v Game #5 Winner

Round 2

15^th – 19^th March at 12:00am & 3:00am

Semi-Finals

21^st March at 1:00am

22^nd March at 12:00am

Final

23^rd March at 1:30am