Les États-Unis, Cuba, Porto Rico, le Venezuela et le Mexique ont tous remporté leurs matchs de poule. Le Japon, qui a remporté la compétition en 2006 et 2009, a également réussi à se qualifier pour la prochaine phase.
Mais il y a aussi des surprises. La Corée du Sud, qui a remporté la médaille d’or aux Jeux olympiques de 2008 et 2012, a été éliminée par le Panama, qui a remporté la victoire 7-6.
Le tournoi se poursuit maintenant avec les matchs de la phase de groupes, et les quarts de finale auront lieu le 16 mars.
The presence of Venezuela and Korea was also expected.
But as in any self-respecting competition, a few surprises came to spice up the menu.
First, the qualification of Puerto Rico, less obvious than expected. And especially that of Italy, a real sensation of the first round.
On the contrary, the absence of Cuba in the quarter-finals constitutes a small seismic shock in the world of international baseball.
Italy, queen of the first round
On the European side, one team clearly stood out: Italy.
Four games, four wins.
A perfect record, tied with Japan and the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile: Great Britain lost three times out of four, Holland suffered the same fate, Israel came close to qualifying with two wins and two losses, and the Czech Republic finished with four defeats, but with a team largely composed of domestic players.
And that’s where the purists start coughing in their gloves again.
A World Cup… Very MLB
Because behind the flags and the anthems, the reality is simple: the tournament often resembles a big family reunion of MLB players and Japanese baseball players.
We have known for a long time that the Caribbean is a fantastic breeding ground for talent for the MLB. But some selections are almost entirely based on bi-national players.
This is notably the case for: Italy, Israel, Holland, Brazil and Australia
In this game of filiation and sports passport, Italy has obviously found the right formula.
And to be honest, France is not innocent either: during the 2023 qualifications, under the leadership of Bruce Bochy, it had also drawn heavily on foreign players who had been playing in France for a long time.
The Japanese still at the top
While some are still tinkering with their rosters, Japan continues to play… baseball.
It continues to impress with its technical mastery and the depth of its squad.
As the reigning champion, Japan can count on stars such as: Shohei Ohtani or Seiya Suzuki
Ohtani has so far been used sparingly… but knowing the taste for spectacle of the tournament, we would not be surprised to see him take to the mound during a final.
After all, in this competition, the show is never far away.
The Caribbean, eternal outsiders
In the Caribbean, the hierarchy is changing.
Formerly dominated by Cuba, regional baseball now sees the following shine:
- the Dominican Republic
- Venezuela
- Puerto Rico
Three nations that remain among the greatest suppliers of MLB players.
The Italian feat against the United States
Among the highlights of the group stage: Italy’s victory over the United States.
But some observers are already ironic:
Did the USA/MLB team B (Italy) win against the USA team B?
It must be said that the American manager probably thought he was already qualified and rotated his team.
Meanwhile, Vinnie Pasquantino, a player for the Kansas City Royals, had a moment of history with a triple home run in the match.
A growing competition
Despite all these discussions, one thing is certain: the tournament is popular.
The worldwide audience of the World Baseball Classic is up significantly compared to the previous edition.
International baseball is becoming more and more multipolar, with several models of development:
- Model major league: Japan
- Model diaspora: Italy, Israel
- Model talent exporter: Caribbean
- Model world super league: MLB
And now?
The quarterfinals promise some interesting scenarios.
We might see: Italy trying to surprise Puerto Rico and Japan getting rid of Venezuela
On the other side of the bracket: Canada facing the United States and Korea against the Dominican Republic
The United States vs. Canada matchup even has a little diplomatic and economic flavor these days… but on the field, the gap remains real.
A dream of an Italian semifinal?
At heart, we’re still kids – especially when it comes to baseball.
So, yes, seeing Italy make it to the semifinals wouldn’t bother us. Even if this team is only half-Italian on paper.
And while Europe discovers this strange tournament, let’s get your coffee ready.
After a weekend of quarterfinals and semifinals, the final – most likely a rematch of the United States vs Japan duel – will be played on the night of Wednesday to Thursday.
And as always with baseball:
we promise to go to bed early… and we end up watching the screen until the last pitch.
