2006 World Baseball Classic
The 2006 World Baseball Classic was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 - March 20 in stadiums that are in and around Tokyo (Japan), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Orlando, Phoenix, Anaheim and San Diego (United States).
Japan, led by Sadaharu Oh, became the first champion.
Contents |
Format
The first World Baseball Classic featured 16 teams in a round-robin tournament. Each team played the other three teams in their pool once. The top two teams of each letter-pool moved onto the second round, where the top two teams of Pools A and B (Pool 1) and the top two teams of Pools C and D (Pool 2) competed against each other in another round-robin. The top two teams from each pool entered a four-team single-elimination bracket, with the pool winners and runners-up facing each other in the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals then met to determine the World Baseball Classic champions.
Teams
The teams selected for the inaugural World Baseball Classic were chosen because they were judged to be the "best baseball-playing nations in the world and provide global representation for the event."[1] There was no official qualifying competition. Rosters for participating teams can be found here.
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
|---|---|---|---|
 China |
 Canada |
 Cuba |
 Australia |
 Chinese Taipei |
 Mexico |
 Netherlands |
 Dominican Republic |
 Japan |
 South Africa |
 Panama |
 Italy |
 South Korea |
 United States |
 Puerto Rico |
 Venezuela |
Venues
- Round 1 (March 3–March 11)
- Pool A: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan (cap. 42,000)
- Pool B: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona (cap. 49,033) & Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale, Arizona (cap. 8,500)
- Pool C: Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico (cap. 18,000)
- Pool D: Cracker Jack Stadium, Lake Buena Vista, Florida (cap. 9,500)
- Round 2 (March 12–March 15)
- Pool 1: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California (cap. 45,037)
- Pool 2: Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico (cap. 18,000)
- Finals (March 18 and March 20)
- PETCO Park, San Diego, California (cap. 42,445)
Round 1
Pool A
| Team | W | L | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea |
3 | 0 | - |
| Japan |
2 | 1 | - |
| Chinese Taipei |
1 | 2 | - |
| China |
0 | 3 | - |
| March 3, 2006 | South Korea |
2 – 0 | Chinese Taipei |
Tokyo Dome, Japan Attendance: 5,193 |
| March 3, 2006 | Japan |
18 – 2 (F/8) | China |
Tokyo Dome, Japan Attendance: 15,869 |
| March 4, 2006 | China |
1 – 10 | South Korea |
Tokyo Dome, Japan Attendance: 3,925 |
| March 4, 2006 | Japan |
14 – 3 (F/7) | Chinese Taipei |
Tokyo Dome, Japan Attendance: 31,047 |
| March 5, 2006 | Chinese Taipei |
12 – 3 | China |
Tokyo Dome, Japan Attendance: 4,577 |
| March 5, 2006 | South Korea |
3 – 2 | Japan |
Tokyo Dome, Japan Attendance: 40,353 |
Pool B
| Team | W | L | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico |
2 | 1 | 1-1, 1.59 RA/9 |
| United States |
2 | 1 | 1-1, 4.00 RA/9 |
| Canada |
2 | 1 | 1-1, 7.50 RA/9 |
| South Africa |
0 | 3 | - |
| March 7, 2006 | Mexico |
0 – 2 | United States |
Chase Field, United States Attendance: 32,727 |
| March 7, 2006 | Canada |
11 – 8 | South Africa |
Scottsdale Stadium, United States Attendance: 5,829 |
| March 8, 2006 | Canada |
8 – 6 | United States |
Chase Field, United States Attendance: 16,993 |
| March 8, 2006 | South Africa |
4 – 10 | Mexico |
Scottsdale Stadium, United States Attendance: 7,937 |
| March 9, 2006 | Mexico |
9 – 1 | Canada |
Chase Field, United States Attendance: 15,744 |
| March 10, 2006 | United States |
17 – 0 (F/5) | South Africa |
Scottsdale Stadium, United States Attendance: 11,975 |
Pool C
| Team | W | L | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico |
3 | 0 | - |
| Cuba |
2 | 1 | - |
| Netherlands |
1 | 2 | - |
| Panama |
0 | 3 | - |
| March 7, 2006 | Panama |
1 – 2 | Puerto Rico |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 19,043 |
| March 8, 2006 | Cuba |
8 – 6 (F/11) | Panama |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 6,129 |
| March 8, 2006 | Puerto Rico |
8 – 3 | Netherlands |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 15,570 |
| March 9, 2006 | Cuba |
11 – 2 | Netherlands |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 7,657 |
| March 10, 2006 | Netherlands |
10 – 0 (F/7) | Panama |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 6,337 |
| March 10, 2006 | Puerto Rico |
12 – 2 (F/7) | Cuba |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 19,736 |
Pool D
| Team | W | L | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican Republic |
3 | 0 | - |
| Venezuela |
2 | 1 | - |
| Italy |
1 | 2 | - |
| Australia |
0 | 3 | - |
| March 7, 2006 | Dominican Republic |
11 – 5 | Venezuela |
Cracker Jack Stadium, United States Attendance: 10,645 |
| March 7, 2006 | Australia |
0 – 10 (F/7) | Italy |
Cracker Jack Stadium, United States Attendance: 8,099 |
| March 8, 2006 | Italy |
0 – 6 | Venezuela |
Cracker Jack Stadium, United States Attendance: 10,101 |
| March 9, 2006 | Italy |
3 – 8 | Dominican Republic |
Cracker Jack Stadium, United States Attendance: 9,949 |
| March 9, 2006 | Venezuela |
2 – 0 | Australia |
Cracker Jack Stadium, United States Attendance: 10,111 |
| March 10, 2006 | Australia |
4 – 6 | Dominican Republic |
Cracker Jack Stadium, United States Attendance: 11,083 |
Round 2
Pool 1
| Team | W | L | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea |
3 | 0 | - |
| Japan |
1 | 2 | 1-1, 2.50 RA/9 |
| United States |
1 | 2 | 1-1, 2.64 RA/9 |
| Mexico |
1 | 2 | 1-1, 3.50 RA/9 |
| March 12, 2006 | Japan |
3 – 4 | United States |
Angel Stadium, United States Attendance: 32,896 |
| March 12, 2006 | Mexico |
1 – 2 | South Korea |
Angel Stadium, United States Attendance: 42,979 |
| March 13, 2006 | United States |
3 – 7 | South Korea |
Angel Stadium, United States Attendance: 21,288 |
| March 14, 2006 | Japan |
6 – 1 | Mexico |
Angel Stadium, United States Attendance: 16,591 |
| March 15, 2006 | South Korea |
2 – 1 | Japan |
Angel Stadium, United States Attendance: 39,679 |
| March 16, 2006 | United States |
1 – 2 | Mexico |
Angel Stadium, United States Attendance: 38,284 |
Pool 2
| Team | W | L | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican Republic |
2 | 1 | 1-0 |
| Cuba |
2 | 1 | 0-1 |
| Venezuela |
1 | 2 | 1-0 |
| Puerto Rico |
1 | 2 | 0-1 |
| March 12, 2006 | Cuba |
7 – 2 | Venezuela |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 13,697 |
| March 12, 2006 | Puerto Rico |
7 – 1 | Dominican Republic |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 19,692 |
| March 13, 2006 | Dominican Republic |
7 – 3 | Cuba |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 6,594 |
| March 13, 2006 | Venezuela |
6 – 0 | Puerto Rico |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 19,400 |
| March 14, 2006 | Venezuela |
1 – 2 | Dominican Republic |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 13,007 |
| March 15, 2006 | Cuba |
4 – 3 | Puerto Rico |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Puerto Rico Attendance: 19,773 |
Finals
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||
| 2006-03-18 - PETCO Park | |||||||
| Cuba |
3 | ||||||
| Dominican Republic |
1 | ||||||
| 2006-03-20 - PETCO Park | |||||||
| Japan |
10 | ||||||
| Cuba |
6 | ||||||
| 2006-03-18 - PETCO Park | |||||||
| Japan |
6 | ||||||
| South Korea |
0 | ||||||
| March 18, 2006 | Cuba |
3 – 1 | Dominican Republic |
PETCO Park, United States Attendance: 41,268 |
| March 18, 2006 | Japan |
6 – 0 | South Korea |
PETCO Park, United States Attendance: 42,639 |
| March 20, 2006 | Japan |
10 – 6 | Cuba |
PETCO Park, United States Attendance: 42,696 |
Final Standings
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Championship Trophy
Gold medals
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Attendance
737,112 (avg. 18,900; pct. 67.3%)
Round 1
326,629 (avg. 13,609; pct. 55.4%)
- Pool A - 100,964 (avg. 16,827; pct. 40.1%)
- Pool B - 91,205 (avg. 15,200; pct. 52.8%)
- Chase Field - 65,464 (avg. 21,821; pct. 44.5%)
- Scottsdale Stadium - 25,741 (avg. 8,580; pct. 100.9%)
- Pool C - 74,472 (avg. 12,412; pct. 69.0%)
- Pool D - 59,988 (avg. 9,998; pct. 105.2%)
Round 2
283,880 (avg. 23,656; pct. 75.1%)
- Pool 1 - 191,717 (avg. 31,952; pct. 70.9%)
- Pool 2 - 92,163 (avg. 15,360; pct. 85.3%)
Finals
126,603 (avg. 42,201; pct. 99.4%)
All-WBC team
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| MVP | Daisuke Matsuzaka |
| C | Tomoya Satozaki |
| 1B | Seung Yeop Lee |
| 2B | Yulieski Gourriel |
| SS | Derek Jeter |
| 3B | Adrián Beltré |
| OF | Ken Griffey, Jr. |
| Jong Beom Lee |
|
| Ichiro Suzuki |
|
| DH | Yoandry Garlobo |
| P | Yadel Martí |
| Daisuke Matsuzaka |
|
| Chan Ho Park |
Statistics
Team Batting
Ordered by batting average [2]
| Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | TB | BB | SO | SB | CS | OBP | SLG | AVG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan |
8 | 270 | 60 | 84 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 57 | 129 | 32 | 39 | 13 | 2 | .390 | .478 | .311 | .868 |
| United States |
6 | 197 | 33 | 57 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 32 | 95 | 19 | 26 | 1 | 1 | .359 | .482 | .289 | .841 |
| Puerto Rico |
6 | 203 | 32 | 58 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 31 | 91 | 24 | 34 | 7 | 3 | .365 | .448 | .286 | .813 |
| Cuba |
8 | 279 | 44 | 79 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 41 | 117 | 24 | 51 | 3 | 4 | .357 | .419 | .283 | .776 |
| Canada |
3 | 104 | 20 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 53 | 23 | 24 | 2 | 2 | .419 | .510 | .279 | .928 |
| Netherlands |
3 | 102 | 15 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 30 | 11 | 22 | 0 | 0 | .342 | .294 | .265 | .636 |
| Chinese Taipei |
3 | 102 | 15 | 27 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 39 | 7 | 21 | 3 | 1 | .342 | .382 | .265 | .724 |
| Dominican Republic |
7 | 23 | 36 | 61 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 28 | 96 | 33 | 33 | 6 | 4 | .364 | .412 | .262 | .776 |
| South Africa |
3 | 87 | 12 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 27 | 7 | 34 | 0 | 2 | .330 | .310 | .253 | .640 |
| South Korea |
7 | 218 | 26 | 53 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 26 | 86 | 16 | 51 | 2 | 0 | .305 | .394 | .243 | .699 |
| Mexico |
6 | 189 | 23 | 44 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 72 | 15 | 36 | 2 | 0 | .292 | .381 | .233 | .673 |
| Italy |
3 | 95 | 13 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 37 | 11 | 24 | 0 | 0 | .290 | .389 | .200 | .679 |
| Venezuela |
6 | 188 | 22 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 62 | 35 | 40 | 2 | 1 | .323 | .330 | .186 | .653 |
| China |
3 | 92 | 6 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 27 | 9 | 33 | 0 | 2 | .286 | .293 | .185 | .579 |
| Panama |
3 | 91 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 21 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 1 | .276 | .231 | .165 | .507 |
| Australia |
3 | 80 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 32 | 3 | 2 | .191 | .138 | .113 | .329 |
Batting Leaders
(minimum 2.7 plate appearances/game)[3]
Batting Average
- Adam Stern - .667
- Ken Griffey, Jr. - .524
- Brett Willemburg - .500
- Yoandy Garlobo - .480
- Jason Bay - .455
- Nicholas Dempsey - .455
- Sidney de Jong - .455
Hits
- Nobuhiko Matsunaka - 13
- Yoandy Garlobo - 12
- Ichiro Suzuki - 12
- Ken Griffey, Jr. - 11
- Tsuyoshi Nishioka - 11
Runs
- Nobuhiko Matsunaka - 11
- Yulieski Gourriel - 8
- Seung Yeop Lee - 8
- Tsuyoshi Nishioka - 7
- Ichiro Suzuki - 7
Doubles
- Jong Beom Lee - 6
- Nobuhiko Matsunaka - 4
- Frederich Cepeda - 3
- Yung Chi Chen - 3
- Justin Morneau - 3
- Miguel Tejada - 3
Triples
- 15 players tied with 1
Home Runs
- Seung Yeop Lee - 5
- Adrián Beltré - 4
- Ken Griffey, Jr. - 3
- Derrek Lee - 3
- David Ortiz - 3
- Hitoshi Tamura - 3
Grand Slams
- Jason Varitek - 1
Runs Batted In
- Ken Griffey, Jr. - 10
- Seung Yeop Lee - 10
- Adrián Beltré - 9
- Hitoshi Tamura - 9
- Jorge Cantu - 8
- Frederich Cepeda - 8
- Derrek Lee - 8
- Tsuyoshi Nishioka - 8
Total Bases
- Seung Yeop Lee - 23
- Ken Griffey, Jr. - 22
- Frederich Cepeda - 19
- Tsuyoshi Nishioka - 19
- Adrián Beltré - 18
Walks
- David Ortiz - 8
- Albert Pujols - 7
- Bobby Abreu - 6
- Frederich Cepeda - 6
- Tsuyoshi Nishioka - 6
- Hitoshi Tamura - 6
Strikeouts
- Hitoshi Tamura - 9
- Ariel Prestano - 8
- Yufeng Zhang - 8
- Bobby Abreu - 7
- Frederich Cepeda - 7
- Jin Man Park - 7
- Alex Rodriguez - 7
Stolen Bases
- Tsuyoshi Nishioka - 5
- Ichiro Suzuki - 4
- Trent Durrington - 3
- Eduardo Paret - 3
- 8 players tied with 2
On-Base Percentage
- Adam Stern - .727
- Ken Griffey, Jr. - .583
- Jason Bay - .571
- Yi Feng - .556
- Yoandy Garlobo - .536
Slugging Percentage
- Adam Stern - 1.333
- Ken Griffey, Jr. - 1.048
- Seung Yeop Lee - .958
- Adrián Beltré - .900
- Yung Chi Chen - .786
OPS
- Adam Stern - 2.061
- Ken Griffey, Jr. - 1.631
- Seung Yeop Lee - 1.372
- Adrián Beltré - 1.291
- Chipper Jones - 1.241
Team Pitching
Ordered by ERA [4]
| Team | W | L | ERA | G | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | HB | BB | SO | WHIP | HLD | GF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea |
6 | 1 | 2.00 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 63.0 | 45 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 18 | 50 | 1.00 | 8 | 7 |
| Puerto Rico |
4 | 2 | 2.08 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 52.0 | 33 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 28 | 1.06 | 5 | 6 |
| Japan |
5 | 3 | 2.49 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 68.2 | 52 | 21 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 62 | 0.92 | 3 | 8 |
| Dominican Republic |
5 | 2 | 2.57 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 63.0 | 56 | 26 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 53 | 1.25 | 6 | 7 |
| Mexico |
3 | 3 | 2.77 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 52.0 | 41 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 37 | 1.12 | 4 | 6 |
| Venezuela |
3 | 3 | 3.06 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 53.0 | 39 | 20 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 55 | 1.11 | 7 | 6 |
| United States |
3 | 3 | 3.75 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 48.0 | 43 | 20 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 48 | 1.25 | 4 | 6 |
| Cuba |
5 | 3 | 4.13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 72.0 | 66 | 43 | 33 | 7 | 6 | 41 | 51 | 1.49 | 2 | 8 |
| Italy |
1 | 2 | 4.30 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23.0 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 1.26 | 0 | 3 |
| Panama |
0 | 3 | 5.19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.0 | 33 | 20 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 17 | 1.77 | 0 | 3 |
| Netherlands |
1 | 2 | 6.48 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25.0 | 30 | 19 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 1.52 | 0 | 2 |
| Chinese Taipei |
1 | 2 | 6.84 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 | 31 | 19 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 22 | 1.80 | 0 | 3 |
| Australia |
0 | 3 | 6.85 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23.2 | 24 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 16 | 2.11 | 0 | 3 |
| Canada |
2 | 1 | 7.33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 27.0 | 32 | 23 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 18 | 1.67 | 2 | 3 |
| China |
0 | 3 | 9.72 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 | 48 | 40 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 2.32 | 0 | 3 |
| South Africa |
0 | 3 | 13.50 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 | 42 | 38 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 2.91 | 0 | 3 |
Pitching Leaders
(minimum 0.8 innings pitched/game)[5]
Wins
- Daisuke Matsuzaka - 3
- Odalis Perez - 2
- Ormari Romero - 2
- Jae-Weong Seo - 2
- Min Han Son - 2
- Koji Uehara - 2
Losses
- Rodrigo Lopez - 2
- Johan Santana - 2
- Dontrelle Willis - 2
- 31 plyers tied with 1
Saves
- Chan Ho Park - 3
- Yadel Martí - 2
- 14 tied with 1
Innings Pitched
- Koji Uehara - 17
- Jae-Weong Seo - 14
- Bartolo Colón - 14
- Shunsuke Watanabe - 13.2
- Daisuke Matsuzaka - 13
Hits Allowed
- Koji Uehara - 17
- Bartolo Colón - 13
- Pedro Luis Lazo - 12
- Esteban Loaiza - 10
- Carl Michaels - 10
- Dontrelle Willis - 10
Runs Allowed
- Carl Michaels - 10
- Barry Armitage - 9
- Adiel Palma - 8
- Dontrelle Willis - 8
- Tao Bu - 7
- Vicyohandry Odelin - 7
Earned Runs Allowed
- Carl Michaels - 10
- Dontrelle Willis - 8
- Barry Armitage - 7
- Jeff Francis - 6
- Calvin Maduro - 6
- Vicyohandry Odelin - 6
- Yadel Martí - 0.00 (in 12.2 innings)
- Chan Ho Park - 0.00 (10.0)
- Kelvim Escobar - 0.00 (7.2)
- Shairon Martis - 0.00 (7.0)
- Carlos Silva - 0.00 (5.2)
- Jason Grilli - 0.00 (4.2)
- Erik Bedard - 0.00 (4.0)
- Wei-Lun Pan - 0.00 (4.0)
- Adam Loewen - 0.00 (3.2)
- Po-Hsuan Keng - 0.00 (3.0)
Walks
- Dontrelle Willis - 6
- Kelvim Escobar - 5
- Yulieski Gonzalez - 5
- Esteban Loaiza - 5
- Peter Moylan - 5
- Adiel Palma - 5
- Carlos Zambrano - 5
Strikeouts
- Koji Uehara - 16
- Freddy Garcia - 11
- Yadel Martí - 11
- Roger Clemens - 10
- Daisuke Matsuzaka - 10
- Johan Santana - 10
WHIP
- Shairon Martis - 0.14
- Jason Grilli - 0.20
- José Santiago - 0.63
- Po-Hsuan Keng - 0.67
- Chenhao Li - 0.67
No-hit no-run
- Shairon Martis - 1
Controversies
Team Cuba
In an effort to enforce the United States Government's embargo on Cuba, the Cuban team was initially denied a license to play in the United States.[6] Puerto Rico threatened to pull out as hosts,[7] IBAF said they would rescind its sanctioning of the tournament,[8] and the IOC suggested that such a development would influence the ability of American cities to successfully bid to host future Olympic Games.[9] Financing was restructured and the U.S. government relented.[10]
Republic Of China (Taiwan)
The Republic Of China baseball team was originally listed as "Taiwan" and bearing the ROC national flag (
), but following pressure from the People's Republic of China the listing was later changed to Chinese Taipei with the Chinese Taipei Olympic Flag ().
Participation
A number of Major League baseball players chose not to participate, some backing out at the last minute. Without players such as Barry Bonds, Vladimir Guerrero (who pulled out because 3 cousins died in a car accident right before World Baseball Classic), Manny Ramírez, Hideki Matsui, and Jose Vidro, some questioned whether the event would be credible. Cuba barred from its team players such as Orlando Hernández, his half-brother Liván Hernández, and José Contreras, Cubans who had previously defected. Italy was criticized for a roster made up almost entirely of second-generation Italian Americans such as Mike Piazza.
Format
South Korea completed the first two rounds undefeated (6-0) but was still forced to play Japan, a team it had already beaten twice, in the semifinal round. Other international sporting competitions, such as the FIFA World Cup, are formatted so as to make it impossible that teams play each other three times. They can only face twice at most - in round robin group play and then again for the championship or 3rd-place match. In addition, the regional grouping of teams was called into question, for the groups were perceived to be unevenly distributed.
Drug Testing
The World Anti-Doping Agency criticized IBAF's drug testing program and threatened to withdraw sanction of the event.[11] One athlete, South Korean pitcher Myung Hwan Park, tested positive for a banned substance during the event, and he was subsequently kicked out of the WBC.[12]
Umpires
WBC organizers were unable to reach an agreement with the MLB umpires' union and so the tournament was overseen by umpires from the minor leagues. American umpire Bob Davidson made two questionable calls at critical moments in two different games that each directly benefited the American team.
Additional rules
There were several rule changes from normal major league play. Pitchers were held to a pitch count of 65 pitches in the first round, 80 pitches in the second round, and 95 in the semifinals and championship rounds. (Netherlands pitcher Shairon Martis used exactly 65 pitches to throw the only no-hitter of the tournament, a 10-0 win over Panama that was stopped by the mercy rule [see below].) If a pitcher reached his maximum pitch count in the middle of an at-bat, he could continue to pitch to that batter, but was required to be replaced once that at-bat ended. A 30-pitch outing needed to be followed by one day off, and a 50-pitch outing by four days off. No one would be allowed to pitch on three consecutive days.
A mercy rule came into effect when one team lead by either fifteen runs after five innings, or ten runs after seven innings in the first two rounds. In addition, ties could be called after fourteen innings of play.
The designated hitter rule was in place for all games.
Success of tournament
Many members of the United States press were skeptical of the Classic since its inception. The event proved to be quite popular, however, providing many memorable moments including a first round game between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Attendance was higher than expected at several sites, including the 18,000-seat Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, which was sold out for every Puerto Rico game in the first two rounds. Though international ratings figures are not yet available, viewership is expected to be high, ESPN spokeswoman Diane Lamb said. In addition, there were 4,000 media credentials issued — more than the World Series — which bodes well for the stated goal of internationalizing the sport. Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci reported that "more merchandise was sold in the first round than organizers projected for the entire 17-day event." [13] He also reported that, at one point, jerseys for the Venezuelan team were selling at the rate of one every six seconds.
The US television ratings on ESPN were stronger than initially expected, drawing in more than one million television sets for some games, more than almost any other ESPN program in the month of March. This occurred despite less than stellar airing times for the games. Most were not aired live but taped, and sometimes with innings cut, as the WBC was organized well after ESPN had committed to much of its programming. These ratings all but assure the next WBC, in 2009, will be awarded more live broadcasts during prime time.
However, outside US, the tournament was very successful. In Latin America, a first round game between the United States and Mexico, was the third most watched game in the history of ESPN Dos, one of the three Spanish-language channels of ESPN in Latin America.
The allocation of earnings
The total earnings of WBC is divided into net profit (53%) and prize money (47%).[14]
Net profit (53%)
- World Baseball Classic Inc.: 17.5%
- Baseball Players Union: 17.5%
- Japanese Baseball Organization: 7%
- Korean Baseball Organization: 5%
- International Baseball Federation: 5%
- Miscellaneous expenses: 1%
Prize money (47%)
- Japan (Champions): 10%
- Cuba (Runners-up): 7%
- South Korea and Dominican Republic (Semifinalists): 5% each
- The 4 teams that drop out of the Round 2: 3% each
- The 8 teams that drop out of the Round 1: 1% each
External links
- World Baseball Classic
- Video and Audio - 2006 World Baseball Classic
- ESPN Podcast Coverage of the WBC
- WEPN New York Live streaming radio coverage of the final
References
- MLB.com: DuPuy reacts
- Yahoo!: Cuba allowed to play
- Unofficial chat forum of The World Baseball Classic
See also
- 2006 World Baseball Classic rosters
- Baseball at the Summer Olympics
- Baseball World Cup
- World Series
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