The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is the preeminent international baseball tournament. Although baseball returned for the 2020 Summer Olympics, it didn’t feature Major League Baseball (MLB) players. Moreover, the International Olympic Committee opted not to include the sport in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Originally organized by the International Baseball Federation in partnership with MLB, the WBC was held for the first time in 2006. The second tournament took place in 2009, following which the World Baseball Softball Confederation took ownership of the event with the intent to host the tournament every four years beginning in 2013. The 2021 WBC was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will instead be played in 2023 with qualification beginning in September 2022.
The following is a closer look at the first four WBC tournaments.
1. Japan (2006)
Sixteen teams, split into four pools, participated in the first-ever WBC in 2006. Round-robin games were held in various stadiums in Japan, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Teams played three round-robin games with the top two teams in each pool advancing to a second round-robin with two pools of four teams. The top two teams in those pools advanced to a four-team single elimination bracket. South Korea, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Japan were the final four teams in 2006. Japan defeated Cuba 10-6 in the finals.
Nobuhiko Matsunaka of Japan led all players in hits (13) and runs (11), while Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka led all pitchers in wins (3) and was named WBC MVP. Players from five countries, including legends like Derek Jeter (US) and Ichiro Suzuki (Japan), composed the 2006 All-WBC team.
Despite worries about the success of the event among American media and baseball personalities, including New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, the 2006 WBC was a critical success. Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci wrote that “more merchandise was sold in the first round than organizers projected for the entire 17-day event,” while average game viewership on ESPN exceeded 1 million. Most games were sold out, and WBC organizers approved 4,000 media credentials, more than the World Series.
2. Japan (2009)
The 2009 WBC featured the same 16 teams that competed in the 2006 tournament and had the same outcome. Japan repeated as champions by defeating South Korea 5-3 in the finals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on March 23. Venezuela and the US finished third and fourth, respectively. Games were played at stadiums in Japan, Puerto Rico, the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Matsuzaka won each of his three starts for Japan and was named WBC MVP for the second time. Yu Darvish was the winning pitcher in Japan’s 5-3 extra innings finals victory over South Korea, while Suzuki hit the game-winning two-run single in the 10th inning. Matsuzaka was also the only player from the 2006 All-WBC team to make the 2009 All-WBC teams. Other players named to the team included José López (Venezuela), Jimmy Rollins (US), Yoenis Céspedes (Cuba), and Bum-ho Lee (South Korea).
3. Dominican Republic (2013)
The 2013 WBC featured a new format and expanded field. The 12 teams that won at least one game during the 2009 WBC earned automatic entry into the tournament, while the four teams that failed to win were placed into four qualification pools with 12 other countries. The winner of each pool advanced to the 16-team round-robin. Canada and Taiwan won their pools to participate in the tournament for the third time, while Spain and Brazil qualified for the first time.
Puerto Rico, Japan, the Netherlands, and the Dominican Republic advanced to the championship round. Puerto Rico defeated Japan 3-1 in the semifinals and ended the Asian country’s hopes of a three-peat, while the Dominican Republic beat the Netherlands 4-1 in the other semifinal. The DR went on to defeat Puerto Rico 3-0 in the final. Pitcher Samuel Deduno recorded the victory and first baseman Edwin Encarnacion drove in a pair of runs on a double in the first inning.
Second baseman Robinson Canó was named WBC MVP and led all players in hits (15) and total bases (25).
4. United States (2017)
Baseball was created in the US and is known as America’s national pastime. As such, the US has had lofty expectations in each of the first three WBC tournaments. The national team finally met those expectations in 2017 with a lopsided 8-0 victory over Puerto Rico in the final. It narrowly defeated two-time champion Japan 2-1 in the semifinals. Fourteen of the 16 teams were participating in the WBC for the fourth time, while Israel and Colombia qualified for the first time.
American pitcher Marcus Stroman was named 2017 WBC MVP. He led all pitchers in innings pitched (15 1/3) and pitched the final against the Dominican Republic. Eric Hosmer (US), Wladimir Balentien (Netherlands), Carlos Correa (Puerto Rico), and Kodai Senga (Japan) were among the players named to the All-WBC team.