2013 World Baseball Classic – Qualification

2013 World Baseball Classic – Qualification
Tournament details
Host countries  Germany
 Panama
 Taiwan
 United States
Dates September 19 – November 19, 2012
Teams 16
Tournament statistics
Games played 24
Attendance 103,774 (4,324 per game)
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The Qualifying Round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic was held from September 19 to November 19, 2012. Although the 2006 and 2009 editions of the World Baseball Classic were contested by the same pre-selected field of 16 teams, for the 2013 tournament only the 12 teams that won at least one game in 2009 were guaranteed a berth in the main tournament. The other four (Canada, Chinese Taipei, Panama, and South Africa) contested the qualifying round along with 12 additional teams invited by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF).[1]

The qualifiers were organized as four independent modified double-elimination tournaments featuring four teams each. The final game was winner-take-all, even if won by the team emerging from the loser's bracket. That is, the team emerging from the winner's bracket might be eliminated despite losing only one game (as, in fact, happened to Israel in Qualifier 1).

Canada and Chinese Taipei dominated in Qualifiers 2 and 4 to advance easily. In Qualifier 1, Spain and Israel both won in the first round, then Israel beat Spain in the winner's bracket. Spain then eliminated South Africa (the only team in the qualifier to have previously contested the WBC) to earn a rematch with Israel, which was without its several Major League players due to the qualifier taking place during the MLB season. Spain won the winner-take-all final game, 9–7 in 10 innings, to advance to the main tournament.

In Qualifier 3, favorites Panama and Nicaragua lost in the first round, and Panama then eliminated Nicaragua. After both teams defeated Colombia, underdog Brazil defeated Panama 1–0 to advance to the main tournament.

Players

Under the Classic's rules, Team Israel was entitled to have non-Israeli citizens of Jewish heritage play for the team. Such players included major leaguers catcher Ryan Lavarnway, first baseman Ike Davis, second basemen Ian Kinsler and Josh Satin, third basemen Kevin Youkilis and Danny Valencia, outfielders Ryan Braun (whose father is Israeli), Sam Fuld, Ryan Kalish, and Gabe Kapler, and pitchers Jason Marquis, Scott Feldman, Craig Breslow, and John Grabow, as well as what were then recent major leaguers catcher Brad Ausmus and pitcher Scott Schoeneweis.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Kinsler said:

"Wow, I would be happy to play for Team Israel.... The truth is that if a proposal comes from Team USA to play for them, I will have a very difficult decision to make. Yuk [Kevin Youkilis], Braun [Ryan Braun], and I could make a fantastic team. I am sure that I'll talk it over with Yuk – we always laugh about things like this."[8]

Outfielder Shawn Green, who retired in 2007, was also eligible because he is Jewish. In early June 2011 he said it "would be an honor" and he "would love to" play for Israel in the Classic.[9][10]

Because they were held in September, while the Major League Baseball season was still in progress, Qualifiers 1 and 2 could not feature major league players.[11][12] Kevin Youkilis announced that he would play for the team if they made it past the qualifying round.[13]

The highest-level players involved in Qualifiers 1 and 2 were minor-league prospects ranked among the top 20 in their respective organizations.[14] Team Israel, managed by former major league All Star Brad Ausmus, included minor league pitchers Eric Berger (1–0) and Brett Lorin, first baseman Nate Freiman (.417; 4 HR in 12 AB), second baseman Josh Satin (.273), shortstops Jake Lemmerman and Ben Orloff, and outfielders Adam Greenberg, Ben Guez, Joc Pederson (.308), and Robbie Widlansky.[15][16] Retired major leaguer Shawn Green played for Israel (.333).[15]

Similarly, Joey Votto and Justin Morneau were unable to play for Canada.[17] They were led by minor league first baseman Jimmy Van Ostrand (.538; 10 RBIs in 13 at-bats).[16] Although Canada advanced easily despite the unavailability of its Major Leaguers, Israel was eliminated after narrowly losing the final game to Spain.

By contrast, all four teams in Qualifier 3 boasted Major League players, as it took place in November and did not conflict with the MLB season. Established Major Leaguers included Carlos Ruiz, Rubén Tejada, Manny Acosta, Manny Corpas, and Carlos Lee of Panama; and Everth Cabrera and J. C. Ramírez of Nicaragua. Major League rookies and prospects included Erasmo Ramírez and Cheslor Cuthbert of Nicaragua; Yan Gomes of Brazil; and Luis Martinez and brothers Donavan and Jhonatan Solano of Colombia. Retired Major Leaguers included Ramiro Mendoza of Panama and Édgar Rentería of Colombia.[18]

Although Qualifier 4 also took place in November, it did not feature any current MLB players, as both Wei-Yin Chen and Chien-Ming Wang of Chinese Taipei elected to skip the qualifier. Chinese Taipei did feature Japanese major leaguer Yao-Hsun Yang as well as Taiwanese league players such as Peng Cheng-min and Lin Chih-sheng, and qualified easily. Both New Zealand and the Philippines included minor league players, while Thailand included former Major Leaguer Johnny Damon.[19]

Venues

Four stadiums were used during the qualifying round:[20][21]

Qualifier 1 Qualifier 2 Qualifier 3 Qualifier 4
United States Jupiter, United States Germany Regensburg, Germany Panama Panama City, Panama Taiwan New Taipei City, Taiwan
Roger Dean Stadium Armin-Wolf-Arena Rod Carew Stadium Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium
Capacity: 6,871 Capacity: 10,000 Capacity: 27,000 Capacity: 12,500

Pools composition

Qualifier 1 Qualifier 2 Qualifier 3 Qualifier 4
 France  Canada  Brazil  Chinese Taipei
 Israel  Czech Republic  Colombia  New Zealand
 South Africa  Germany  Nicaragua  Philippines
 Spain  Great Britain  Panama  Thailand

Qualifying round

Qualifier 1

  Preliminaries Semifinals Qualifier
                             
–  Israel 7  
–  South Africa 3  
  W1  Israel 4  
  W2  Spain 2  
–  France 0
–  Spain 8  
  W3  Israel 7 –
  W5  Spain 9 Q1W
L1  South Africa 5  
L2  France 2  
  W4  South Africa 3
  L3  Spain 13  
Date Local Time Road Team Score Home Team Inn. Venue Game Time Attendance Boxscore
Sep 19, 2012 19:00 Israel  7–3  South Africa   Roger Dean Stadium 3:16 1,581 Boxscore
Sep 20, 2012 19:00 France  0–8  Spain   Roger Dean Stadium 2:51 975 Boxscore
Sep 21, 2012 13:00 Israel  4–2  Spain   Roger Dean Stadium 2:43 814 Boxscore
Sep 21, 2012 19:00 South Africa  5–2  France 11 Roger Dean Stadium 3:57 922 Boxscore
Sep 22, 2012 19:00 Spain  13–3  South Africa   Roger Dean Stadium 3:11 1,183 Boxscore
Sep 23, 2012 17:00 Spain  9–7  Israel 10 Roger Dean Stadium 4:50 4,463 Boxscore

Qualifier 2

  Preliminaries Semifinals Qualifier
                             
–  Great Britain 1  
–  Canada 11  
  W1  Canada 16  
  W2  Germany 7  
–  Czech Republic 1
–  Germany 16  
  W4  Canada 11 Q2W
  W5  Germany 1 –
L1  Great Britain 12  
L2  Czech Republic 5  
  W3  Great Britain 1
  L4  Germany 16  
Date Local Time Road Team Score Home Team Inn. Venue Game Time Attendance Boxscore
Sep 20, 2012 19:00 Great Britain  1–11  Canada 7 Armin-Wolf-Arena 2:28 3,704 Boxscore
Sep 21, 2012 19:00 Czech Republic  1–16  Germany 6 Armin-Wolf-Arena 2:15 3,019 Boxscore
Sep 22, 2012 13:00 Great Britain  12–5  Czech Republic   Armin-Wolf-Arena 3:10 1,806 Boxscore
Sep 22, 2012 19:00 Canada  16–7  Germany   Armin-Wolf-Arena 4:00 4,085 Boxscore
Sep 23, 2012 14:00 Germany  16–1  Great Britain 7 Armin-Wolf-Arena 2:35 1,452 Boxscore
Sep 24, 2012 19:00 Germany  1–11  Canada 8 Armin-Wolf-Arena 2:33 3,120 Boxscore

Qualifier 3

  Preliminaries Semifinals Qualifier
                             
–  Brazil 3  
–  Panama 2  
  W1  Brazil 7  
  W2  Colombia 1  
–  Nicaragua 1
–  Colombia 8  
  W3  Brazil 1 Q3W
  W5  Panama 0 –
L1  Panama 6  
L2  Nicaragua 2  
  W4  Panama 9
  L3  Colombia 7  
Date Local Time Road Team Score Home Team Inn. Venue Game Time Attendance Boxscore
Nov 15, 2012 20:00 Brazil  3–2  Panama   Rod Carew Stadium 3:23 13,728 Boxscore
Nov 16, 2012 20:00 Nicaragua  1–8  Colombia   Rod Carew Stadium 3:31 4,028 Boxscore
Nov 17, 2012 14:00 Colombia  1–7  Brazil   Rod Carew Stadium 3:33 2,952 Boxscore
Nov 17, 2012 20:00 Nicaragua  2–6  Panama   Rod Carew Stadium 3:46 8,531 Boxscore
Nov 18, 2012 19:00 Panama  9–7  Colombia   Rod Carew Stadium 3:30 5,317 Boxscore
Nov 19, 2012 20:00 Panama  0–1  Brazil   Rod Carew Stadium 2:38 10,638 Boxscore

Qualifier 4

  Preliminaries Semifinals Qualifier
                             
–  Philippines 8  
–  Thailand 2  
  W1  Philippines 0  
  W2  Chinese Taipei 16  
–  New Zealand 0
–  Chinese Taipei 10  
  W4  Chinese Taipei 9 Q4W
  W5  New Zealand 0 –
L1  Thailand 2  
L2  New Zealand 12  
  W3  New Zealand 10
  L4  Philippines 6  
Date Local Time Road Team Score Home Team Inn. Venue Game Time Attendance Boxscore
Nov 15, 2012 11:30 Philippines  8–2  Thailand   Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium 3:10 923 Boxscore
Nov 15, 2012 18:30 New Zealand  0–10  Chinese Taipei 7 Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium 2:29 9,788 Boxscore
Nov 16, 2012 11:30 New Zealand  12–2  Thailand 8 Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium 3:05 1,168 Boxscore
Nov 16, 2012 18:30 Chinese Taipei  16–0  Philippines 7 Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium 2:56 10,911 Boxscore
Nov 17, 2012 14:00 New Zealand  10–6  Philippines   Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium 3:13 503 Boxscore
Nov 18, 2012 14:00 New Zealand  0–9  Chinese Taipei   Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium 3:31 8,163 Boxscore

Attendance

103,774 (avg. 4,324; pct. 30.7%)

Statistics leaders

Batting

Statistic Name Total/Avg
Batting average* Czech Republic Mike Cervenak .714
Hits 7 Players 7
Runs Canada Jimmy Van Ostrand 9
Home runs Israel Nate Freiman
Canada Jimmy Van Ostrand 		4
RBI Canada Jimmy Van Ostrand 10
Walks Chinese Taipei Szu-Chi Chou
South Africa Gift Ngoepe 		6
Strikeouts New Zealand Boss Moanaroa 7
Stolen bases New Zealand Alan Schoenberger 5
On-base percentage* Czech Republic Mike Cervenak .750
Slugging percentage* Canada Jimmy Van Ostrand 1.538
OPS* Canada Jimmy Van Ostrand 2.138

* Minimum 2.7 plate appearances per game

Pitching

Statistic Name Total/Avg
Wins 24 Players 1
Losses 24 Players 1
Saves Brazil Thyago Vieira 2
Innings pitched Panama Ramiro Mendoza 8.2
Hits allowed Israel Eric Berger 10
Runs allowed Philippines Charlie Labrador
South Africa Kieran Lovegrove
Czech Republic Michael Sobotka 		7
Earned runs allowed South Africa Kieran Lovegrove 7
ERA* Panama Ramiro Mendoza 0.00**
Walks Thailand Siraphop Nadee
Brazil Andre Rienzo 		5
Strikeouts Germany Enorbel Marquez 8
WHIP* Germany Enorbel Marquez 0.29

* Minimum 0.8 innings pitched per game
** Mendoza is tied with 27 others with a 0.00 ERA but he pitched the most innings with 8.2

Additional rules

A pitcher threw no more than 85 pitches per game in the Qualifying Round unless the pitcher needed more to complete a batter's plate appearance.

A pitcher must:

A mercy rule came into effect when one team led by either fifteen runs after five innings, or ten runs after seven innings.

An alternative version of the IBAF's extra inning rule was also used. If after 12 innings the score was still tied, each half inning thereafter would have started with runners on second and first base. The runners would have been the eighth and ninth hitters due in that inning respectively. For example, if the number five hitter was due to lead off the inning, the number three hitter would have been on second base, and the number four hitter on first base. However, this rule was never actually employed in this year's qualifiers, as the two extra-inning games in the qualifying round ended prior to a 13th inning.

References

  1. ↑ "2013 World Baseball Classic Field expands to 28 Teams". IBAF. June 1, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ "World Baseball Classic: Israel, managed by Bra". Sporting News. May 21, 2012. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ Belson, Ken (June 1, 2011). "Israel to Participate in 2013 World Baseball Classic". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Israel invited to qualify for World Baseball Classic". JTA. June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  5. ↑ Jeremy Fine. "The Great Rabbino". Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  6. ↑ Aaron Yellin (June 7, 2011). "Israel to Participate in 2013 World Baseball Classic". The Forward. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  8. ↑ Ben, Daniel (May 1, 2010). "Baseball / Jewish MLB stars could play for Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  9. ↑ Leichenger, Alex (June 21, 2011). "Jewish baseball player supports Little League efforts". Jewish Journal. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  10. ↑ Belson, Ken (June 8, 2011). "Shawn Green Says He'd Play for Israel in World Baseball Classic". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  11. ↑ Neistat, Aimee (August 24, 2012). "Baseball / World Classic / Youkilis says he will play for Israel, if it qualifies for tournament". Haaretz. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  12. ↑ "World Baseball Classic: Israel squad could be dangerous with stars Ryan Braun, Ian Kinsler available". Sporting News. May 21, 2012. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  13. ↑ Neistat, Aimee (August 24, 2012). "Baseball / World Classic / Youkilis says he will play for Israel, if it qualifies for tournament". Haaretz. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  14. ↑ "World Baseball Classic: There are plenty of prospects to watch in this month's World Baseball Classic qualifiers". worldbaseballclassic.com. September 21, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  15. 1 2 "World Baseball Classic: Team – Israel". worldbaseballclassic.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  16. 1 2 "World Baseball Classic: Stats". worldbaseballclassic.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  17. ↑ "World Baseball Classic: Canada: Team – Canada". worldbaseballclassic.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Panama City set to host World Baseball Classic qualifying action". World Baseball Classic. November 14, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  19. ↑ "World Baseball Classic: Chinese Taipei favorites in World Baseball Classic qualifier". worldbaseballclassic.com. November 14, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  20. ↑ "World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Florida scheduled for September". IBAF. July 4, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  21. ↑ "World Baseball Classic Qualifier to Take Place in Regensburg from September 20–24th". IBAF. March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
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