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2023 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

2023 World Baseball Classic Pool A: Who advances to quarterfinals? Teams, schedule, venue, top players

A roller coaster of a ride for the teams in Pool A as all five teams finish with 2-2 records, so who advances? We take a look at the tournament’s Pool A.

A roller coaster of a ride for the teams in Pool A as all five teams finish with 2-2 records, so who advances? We take a look at the tournament’s Pool A.
Yung Chuan YangGetty

The World Baseball Classic is back. The international tournament is being played this month for the first time since 2017, after the last event was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The WBC is being played from March 8-21 at four different locations, while the Championship Game will take place on March 21 at loanDepot Park.

Japan won the inaugural tournament in 2006 and became champions again in 2009. The Dominican Republic went all the way in 2013, while the United States lifted the trophy four years later.

Which teams are advancing from Pool A?

20 teams are competing in the WBC. The top four teams in each of the four pools participated in the 2017 tournament and qualified automatically for this year’s event, while the other four teams had to book their spots in qualifying tournaments.

Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Italy, the Netherlands, and Panama will be the five teams competing for the two spots that will give access to the Quarterfinal Round. All of the pool games will be held at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, in Taiwan.

What were the scores in the group round of Pool A?

Pool A’s games will be held from March 7-12.

  • March 7: Cuba 2 - 4 Netherlands
  • March 8: Panama 12 - 5 Chinese Taipei
  • March 8: Panama 1 - 3 Netherlands
  • March 9: Italy 6 - 3 Cuba
  • March 9: Cuba 13 - 4 Panama
  • March 10: Italy 7 - 11 Chinese Taipei
  • March 10: Panama 2 - 0 Italy
  • March 11: Netherlands 5 - 9 Chinese Taipei
  • March 11: Chinese Taipei 1 - 7 Cuba
  • March 12: Netherlands 1 - 7 Italy

Which are the Pool A team’s top players?

Chinese Taipei: Li Lin

Rakuten MMonkeys’ second baseman Li Lin is one of the players to watch in the tournament. The second baseman hit .335/.391/.517 with 14 home runs to win the CPBL batting title and MVP Award in 2022.

Cuba: Luis Robert

Cuba will be having Major League players on its roster for the first time in the tournament. White Sox’s Luis Robert, aka La Pantera, recorded a .946 OPS in 2021 and made his professional debut in Cuba’s top league at the age of 18, hitting .401 with 12 home runs in 53 games.

Italy: Vinnie Pasquantino

The baseman Vinnie Pasquantino recorded a solid rookie season in Kansas City, hitting .295 with 10 home runs across 72 games. He’s expected to lead the Italian team throughout the tournament.

Netherlands: Xander Bogaerts

The San Diego Padres X-Man Xander Bogaerts has great bat control and crazy power. Despite being injured, he competed for the batting title in 2022, finishing with a .307/.377/.456 batting line and 14 home runs.

Panama: Jose Ramos

The Dodgers’ prospect hit 25 home runs in the Minor Leagues last season and recorded two amazing home runs in the qualifying round that helped Panama reach its first World Baseball Classic since 2009.