Nolan Arenado wants the World Baseball Classic to become a global event on a scale close to the Soccer World Cup.
“I feel like the media attention is a little bit higher than in 2017. There are more guys wanting to be in it,” the St. Louis Cardinals third baseman said. I know it’s not the World Cup, but just watching the World Cup and seeing how great it is to represent your country… I don’t know if it’s going to reach that level, but let’s try at least get close. »
Between Taiwan, Tokyo, Phoenix and Miami
The Classic will begin on Wednesday in Taiwan. The Netherlands will face Cuba and Panama will play against the Taiwanese, in a group A which also includes Italy.
Group B will start playing the next day in Tokyo. Australia, China, Czech Republic, Japan and South Korea will compete for two places in the quarter-finals.
Group C kicks off on Saturday in Phoenix and includes defending champions USA, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and Great Britain.
Group D will kick off the same day, in Miami, and will see the Dominican Republic, Israel, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Venezuela face off.
“At the last World Classic, I was a little hesitant whether to go or not, and when I missed my turn, after watching the games, I was a little sorry,” said Angels outfielder Mike Trout. from Los Angeles. [Les joueurs] looked like they were having so much fun. »
The first two places in each group will qualify for the knockout stage. The quarter-finals will be played in Tokyo on March 15 and 16 and in Miami on March 17 and 18.
The semi-finals will take place in Miami on March 19 and 20, with the final on March 21, nine days before major league baseball kicks off.