On Tuesday afternoon, a committee representing the World Baseball Classic, which included recently-inducted Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter, announced a number of important details surrounding the newest installment of this international baseball tournament coming next year.
The last edition of the World Baseball Classic took place in 2017 when the United States defeated Puerto Rico in the championship game by a score of 8-0. The 2017 tournament was composed of four different pools (A, B, C, D) of teams, playing in a round-robin format. Winners of their initial pool would move on to play in Pool E or Pool F. Pool C played their games at Marlins Park in Miami, and Pool F played their games at Petco Park in San Diego. The winners of Pools E and F faced off at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
In 2021, the field of sixteen teams fans saw in 2017 will be increased to twenty. Qualifier games to determine which countries will gain those four spots will be held next month in Tuscon, Arizona from March 13th-25th. The round-robin format which played with four pools of four teams each will have five teams to each pool in 2021.
Unlike the 2017 Classic, the upcoming tournament will have its United States-located games hosted in Miami and Arizona. Marlins Park will host games in the first and second rounds, as well as the championship. Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, will host World Baseball Classic games for the first time since the 2013 Classic.
Current Dodgers such as Kenley Jansen, Julio Urías, and Kiké Hernández participated in the 2017 Classic, as well as former Dodgers such as Sergio Romo, Alex Verdugo, and Adrián González.
Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers