Have a look at the champions and past winners list of the World Baseball Classic tournament
Soon, it will be time for the World Baseball Classic. Between March 8 and March 21 in sites in the US, Taiwan, and Japan, twenty of the world’s best baseball teams will compete.
World Baseball Classic past winners list and winner prize money pool breakdown
The 20 national teams that will participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic will share an initial purse of $6 million dollars, just for entering the tournament, sources told ESPN Digital and each team will receive $300,000 dollars for playing in the fifth edition of the championship organized by the World Baseball Classic Inc., an entity formed by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the United States Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Baseball Players Association. Major League Baseball (MLBPA).
The money is shared equally between the national federations ($150,000) and the players that make up each team ($150,000) while federation and its players will receive additional financial prizes for advancing to the next round and other bonuses for winning their groups, which would represent a very important bag for the country that wins the title.
The 2023 World Baseball Classic is ONE WEEK AWAY!
Who are you most excited to watch? 👀⬇️ pic.twitter.com/FGSSGM7nnf
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) February 28, 2023
This will be its fifth World Baseball Classic this year. Pandemic concerns forced a postponement of this edition which was originally scheduled for 2021.
The competition was established in 2006 as a result of the International Olympic Committee’s decision to ban baseball from the upcoming Olympic Games.
At the Tokyo Dome, South Korea defeated Taiwan 2-0 in the inaugural match in March 2006.
In 2006, Cuba finished second in the WBC, falling to Japan in the championship match. The MLB embargo practically prevents Cuban players from playing in the MLB, so the squad consisted of a combination of teams from the Cuban National Series.
Throughout the competition, Yadel Marti, a Cuban pitcher, threw 12.2 innings of scoreless baseball.
In 2009, the World Baseball Classic went to Japan. Daisuke Matsuzaka, who won the tournament’s MVP award, pitched 14 2/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA while leading his side to victory over South Korea.
Following the victory, Matsuzaka became the first athlete to win both a World Series and a WBC championship. Before returning to the NPB, the former NPB Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award winner played for just five seasons in Major League Baseball with the Mets and Red Sox.
The 2009 World Baseball Classic saw Matsuzaka lead the NPB in wins three times and strikeouts four times.
The Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico at the 2013 World Baseball Classic to win the championship for the first time in the western hemisphere. Robinson Cano, who went 15 for 32 with four doubles, two home runs, and six RBIs, was a game-changer.
Recently, the USA defeated Puerto Rico to win the championship for the first time. Even though Puerto Rico’s Carlos Correa, a teenage star for the Houston Astros at the time, shone well throughout the competition, it wasn’t enough in the end.
In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, a stacked Team USA hopes to win again
Team USA will be led by Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout, who is playing in his first World Baseball Classic.
A threat comes from Japan, a two-time WBC champion and a teammate of Trout’s named Shohei Ohtani. If they prevail, it will be their second straight triumph.
Shohei Ohtani tunes up for the World Baseball Classic. 😤 pic.twitter.com/lraHKqCjl7
— MLB (@MLB) February 28, 2023