World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) today announced the North American venues and pools for the 2017 World Baseball Classic, which will be played at sites around the world in March.

Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, will once again host the tournament semi-finals and final from March 20-22.  This will mark the second time that the WBC championship round will be held at Chavez Ravine (previous: 2009).

“The Los Angeles Dodgers and the City of Los Angeles are excited to be selected as the host of the World Baseball Classic semi-finals and final,” said Dodgers President Stan Kasten, who also serves as chairman of the MLB International Committee. “Dodger Stadium and our great fans look forward to the finest players in the world competing for the WBC championship.”

Team USA at the 2009 WBC held at Dodger Stadium.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Marlins Park, home of the Miami Marlins, and first-time host Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico will welcome first-round pool games from March 9-12.  Pool C in Miami will feature the defending WBC Champion Dominican Republic, Canada, Colombia and the United States, while Pool D in Guadalajara will play host to Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.  Mexico previously staged WBC games in 2009, when a first-round pool was played at Foro Sol in Mexico City.  Miami previously hosted WBC games in both 2009 (then Dolphin Stadium) and 2013 (Marlins Park).

“We are proud of welcoming the World Baseball Classic to Jalisco, said Aristoteles Sandoval, Governor of Jalisco. “We are certain that, thanks to the quality of our infrastructure and the warmth of our people, Jalisco will be known as the new baseball capital of Latin America.”

“We are thrilled that Marlins Park was selected to host the first round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic,” said Marlins President, David Samson. “After having hosted in 2009 and 2013, we are again excited to provide baseball fans an opportunity to enjoy a truly unique, international baseball experience.”

Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, will welcome the World Baseball Classic back for a third time when it hosts second round pool games from March 14-18.  The downtown ballpark previously hosted the inaugural WBC semi-finals and final in 2006 as well as second-round games in 2009.

“We are thrilled to welcome yet another Major League Baseball jewel event to Petco Park in 2017,” said Padres President and CEO Mike Dee. “The World Baseball Classic highlights the diversity and global appeal of our game, and it’s an honor for the San Diego/Tijuana region to once again host the second round.”

These venues will join the previously announced Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea (Pool B) and the Tokyo Dome in Japan (Pool A and Pool E second round).

The first-round and second-round format will be round-robin pool play, with each team playing the others in their pool once.  The top two teams in each of the four first-round pools will advance to the second round. Fans can register now for an exclusive WBC ticket presale or to learn more information about the tournament by visiting www.worldbaseballclassic.com.

In the United States, tournament games will air live exclusively in English on MLB Network and on an authenticated basis via MLBNetwork.com/watch; while ESPN Deportes and watchespn.com will provide the exclusive Spanish language coverage.  Internationally, leading global media rights agency, MP & Silva has teamed with WBCI to distribute the tournament across all forms of television, internet, mobile and radio – all territories excluding the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan.  MP & Silva held media distribution rights for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, when 46 media partners aired the event in more than 200 countries and territories in 15 languages.  Games from the 2013 tournament set numerous broadcasting records around the globe.

The World Baseball Classic is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) as the sport’s official National Team World Championship.

(Article courtesy of Dodgers PR Department)