FYI: World Baseball Classic 2017 Schedule

The United States and Team USA begin their World Baseball Classic schedule against Team Columbia on March 10^th, three short days away, while the defending champions Team Dominican Republic start their schedule the next day. For the entire Team USA, Team Dominican Republic or any other team’s schedule for this year’s WBC see our handy schedule below. Bookmark it and check back often if necessary. Enjoy.

All times are Eastern Standard Time. The first and second rounds are a Round Robin style tournament.

FIRST ROUND

Pool A
Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea

Monday, March 6
Israel vs. South Korea, 5 a.m.

Tuesday, March 7
Taiwan vs. Israel, 10:30 p.m. Monday
South Korea vs. Netherlands, 5 a.m.

Wednesday, March 8
Taiwan vs. Netherlands, 5 a.m.

Thursday, March 9
Israel vs. Netherlands, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday
Taiwan vs. South Korea, 5 a.m

Friday, March 10
Tiebreaker game, 4 a.m., if necessary

Pool B
Tokyo Dome

Tuesday, March 7
Cuba vs. Japan, 5 a.m.

Wednesday, March 8
China vs. Cuba, 10 p.m. Tuesday
Australia vs. Japan, 5 a.m.

Thursday, March 9
Australia vs. China, 5 a.m.

Friday, March 10
Australia vs. Cuba, 10 p.m. Thursday
China vs. Japan, 5 a.m.

Saturday, March 11
Tiebreaker game, 5 a.m., if necessary

Pool C
Marlins Park – Miami

Thursday, March 9
Canada vs. Dominican Republic, 6 p.m.

Friday, March 10
Colombia vs. United States, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 11
Canada vs. Colombia, Noon
Dominican Republic vs. United States, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 12
Colombia vs. Dominican Republic, 12:30 p.m.
Canada vs. United States, 7 p.m.

Monday, March 13
Tiebreaker game, 6 p.m., if necessary

Pool D
Estadio Charros de Jalisco - Guadalajara, Mexico

Thursday, March 9
Italy vs. Mexico, 9 p.m.

Friday, March 10
Puerto Rico vs. Venezuela, 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 11
Italy vs. Venezuela, 3 p.m.
Mexico vs.Puerto Rico, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 12
Italy vs. Puerto Rico, 3:30 p.m.
Mexico vs. Venezuela, 10 p.m.

Monday, March 13
Tiebreaker game, 9 p.m., if necessary

SECOND ROUND

Pool E
Tokyo Dome

Sunday, March 12
Pool A winner vs. Pool B, 10 p.m. Saturday
Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B, 6 a.m.

Monday, March 13
Pool A winner vs. Pool A runner-up, 6 a.m.

Tuesday, March 14
Pool B vs. Pool B, 6 a.m.

Wednesday, March 15
Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B, 11 p.m. Tuesday
Pool A winner vs. Pool B, 6 a.m.

Thursday, March 16
Tiebreaker game, 6 a.m., if necessary

Pool F
Petco Park - San Diego

Tuesday, March 14
Pool C winner vs. Pool D winner, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, March 15
Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D runner-up, 9 p.m.

Thursday, March 16
Pool C winner vs. Pool D runner-up, 10 p.m.

Friday, March 17
Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D winner, 10 p.m.

Saturday, March 18
Pool D winner vs. Pool D runner-up, 3:30 p.m.
Pool C winner vs. Pool C runner-up, 10 p.m.

Sunday, March 19
Tiebreaker game, 8 p.m., if necessary

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles

Semifinals

Monday, March 20
Pool E runner-up vs. Pool F winner, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, March 21
Pool E winner vs. Pool F runner-up, 9 p.m.

Championship

Wednesday, March 22
Semifinal winners, 9 p.m.

Could the Game Truly Go International?

Could Major League Baseball truly go international and have a team outside of the United States? This may be harder to answer than I make it out to be but truly I believe the game could with a little creativity and lots of security. Already Major League Baseball has a team in Canada and with the growing love for the game in South American countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico to name a few a team could end up there in the near future in my opinion.


Revenue in MLB rose to just under $9 billion during the 2014 season without tapping many potential markets outside of the United States and around the globe and it continued to soar sky high is 2015 as well. The move outside the United States would have to start slow and start small with a team right over the border in Mexico, Monterrey maybe or even Mexico City, and security would be a nightmare to begin with but if MLB could make this work then the sky is the limit for the league. With the popularity of baseball in countries like Japan, Korea, Cuba, Australia, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and even smaller countries like Curacao the game could explode internationally and truly set itself apart from the rest of the sports world.

It’s a dream now as we stand here in 2016 but this, in my opinion, is and should be the long term goal and vision for the game. Call me progressive and call me a dreamer but its coming ladies and gentleman so prepare yourselves for it.

New York Yankees Spring Training Notes 3/11

David Aardsma threw a bullpen session today and reported no set backs, pain, discomfort, etc. Nik Turley and Jose Ramirez also threw side sessions today as scheduled. Boone Logan is scheduled to throw a bullpen session tomorrow. Michael Pineda is expected to throw a 35 pitch bullpen session tomorrow and include sliders for the first time since his shoulder surgery.

Infielders Walter Ibarra and Gil Velazquez are back with the Yankees after Team Mexico was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic. Gil seemed embarrassed when asked about the brawl between Team Mexico and Team Canada and stated that it was as bad as it looked on television.

David Robertson pitched a scoreless inning today for the first time since he had trouble getting his shoulder warm in the bullpen. David claimed that he just slept on it wrong and did not have anything wrong but the Yankees were being extra cautious with their set up man.

WBC: Team USA vs. Team Mexico

The World Baseball Classic officially starts for Team USA and Team Mexico here in a couple of hours at 9:00 pm ET on MLB Network. The Mark Teixeira-less Team USA will look to start off with a win behind Toronto Blue Jays starter RA Dickey.