Team Israel will play in the first game of the 2017 World Baseball Classic against host country of Pool A South Korea, on Monday, March 6 in Seoul, South Korea. This is the first time that an Israeli will be appearing in the WBC, following the team’s win in the qualifiers that took place in Brooklyn, New York in September this year. Pool A will be played at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul from Monday, March 6 to Friday, March 10. The opening game will take place on March 6 at 19:00 (13:00 Israel time). Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands will round out the rest of Pool A. (Click here for the full schedule)
“This is a momentous occasion for Israel Baseball,” says Peter Kurz, President of the Israel Association of Baseball. “We have been working long and hard to get to this moment, and we are honored to be taking the field in the first game of this tournament. We have assembled the greatest team of Jewish sportspeople in history and we are excited to show the world what we are capable of. Israel Baseball will really be on the global baseball map. ”
Pool B, features Australia, China, Cuba and Japan at the Tokyo Dome, in Japan, starting on March 7. Pool C features WBC defending champion Dominican Republic, taking on the USA, Canada and Colombia at Marlins Park in Miami, starting March 9. Pool D takes place in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and features 2013 WBC runner-up, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and host nation Mexico.
The First Round will be a round-robin format, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to one of two Second Round pools. For the first time, a single-elimination tie-breaker game will be played if necessary to determine the second advancing team in both the First and Second Rounds. The Second Round, also a round-robin format, will be played at the Tokyo Dome with the winners and runners up of Pools A and B, starting March 12, and in Petco Park in San Diego, California with the winners and runners up of Pools E and F. The winners and runners-up from each of the Second Round pools will advance to the Championship Round at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles from Monday, March 20 to Wednesday, March 22.
