World Baseball Classic Comes to Phoenix & Scottsdale
Sunday December 11, 2005
The World Baseball Classic is an unprecedented baseball event that will feature many of the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories for the first time ever. Major League Baseball is hoping that this tournament will give fans around the world to get a new and wider perspective on the game of baseball. Various countries will participate in the World Baseball Classic, which will be played March 3-20, 2006 in Tokyo, Puerto Rico, Orlando, Arizona, Anaheim, and San Diego. Tickets for games in Arizona go on sale on Monday, December 12, 2006.
Who's Playing
Australia, Canada, China, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Chinese Taipei, the United States and Venezuela are scheduled to compete. Cuba is the only country that hasn't formally accepted its invitation yet, but they are expected to participate.
Who's On the Teams
A maximum 60-man roster for each nation must be submitted by Jan. 17, 2006. Each team's 30-man roster must be finalized 24 hours prior to the start of the tournament. Those final rosters must include a minimum of 13 pitchers and three catchers.
There has been some concern that, although many big name players have agreed to play if asked, that when the time comes, and people have already purchased their tickets, the more popular MLB players won't show up. To alleviate those concerns, Major League Baseball has committed to 60 percent of the participating players having either a Major League or Minor League contract. The U.S. roster is currently projected to include 45 Major League players.
How It Works
The tournament will begin on March 3, 2006 with first-round played at four sites: Pool A, consisting of Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and China, will meet at the Tokyo Dome, March 3-6, with the other three pools all on March 9-11. Pool B, featuring the U.S, Canada, Mexico and South Africa, will play at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Scottsdale Stadium, Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants; Pool C is Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama and the Netherlands, and will play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, and Pool D, featuring the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Australia and Italy, will play at the spring home of the Atlanta Braves near Orlando.
The top two teams from each pool will advance to the second round, which takes place March 13-15 back at Hiram Bithorn Stadium and at Angel Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Angels. Again the top two teams in the four-team second-round brackets will each move on to the semifinals and finals to be held in San Diego Padres on March 18-20.
Schedule
Tickets go on sale December 10, 2006 for games in Puerto Rico and December 12, 2006 for games in the United States. Here are the details for the games to be played in Arizona, and the times shown are local Arizona time:
Tues. March 7, 2 pm, USA v Mexico at Chase Field
Tues. March 7, 7 pm, Canada v South Africa at Scottsdale Stadium
Wed. March 8, 2 pm, USA v Canada at Chase Field
Wed. March 8, 7 pm, Mexico v South Africa at Scottsdale Stadium
Thurs. March 9, 6 pm, Canada v Mexico at Chase Field
Fri. March 10, 1 pm, USA v South Africa at Scottsdale Stadium
Tickets
One of the stranger issues about the World Baseball Classic revolves around the purchasing of tickets. You can't just buy tickets for one game. You must buy tickets for all games at a particular venue. So, for games at Chase Field you must buy 3 World Baseball Classic tickets for each seat. For games at Scottsdale Stadium you must buy 4 tickets for each seat, which includes 3 World Baseball Classic games being played at Scottsdale Stadium PLUS a special exhibition game of the USA team vs. the San Francisco Giants on March 5, 2006. Wow, that's complicated!
Pricing
Prices for the three games at Chase Field start at $30 per seat ( for all 3 games) and go up to $150 in VIP and pool areas. At Scottsdale Stadium, the range of prices is between $50 and $110 for all 4 games there.
More Details about the World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic Official Site, Buy Tickets
Map and Directions to Chase Field
Map and Directions to Scottsdale Stadium
Chase Field Seating Chart
Seating Chart for Scottsdale Stadium
Who's Playing
Australia, Canada, China, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Chinese Taipei, the United States and Venezuela are scheduled to compete. Cuba is the only country that hasn't formally accepted its invitation yet, but they are expected to participate.
Who's On the Teams
A maximum 60-man roster for each nation must be submitted by Jan. 17, 2006. Each team's 30-man roster must be finalized 24 hours prior to the start of the tournament. Those final rosters must include a minimum of 13 pitchers and three catchers.
There has been some concern that, although many big name players have agreed to play if asked, that when the time comes, and people have already purchased their tickets, the more popular MLB players won't show up. To alleviate those concerns, Major League Baseball has committed to 60 percent of the participating players having either a Major League or Minor League contract. The U.S. roster is currently projected to include 45 Major League players.
How It Works
The tournament will begin on March 3, 2006 with first-round played at four sites: Pool A, consisting of Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and China, will meet at the Tokyo Dome, March 3-6, with the other three pools all on March 9-11. Pool B, featuring the U.S, Canada, Mexico and South Africa, will play at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Scottsdale Stadium, Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants; Pool C is Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama and the Netherlands, and will play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, and Pool D, featuring the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Australia and Italy, will play at the spring home of the Atlanta Braves near Orlando.
The top two teams from each pool will advance to the second round, which takes place March 13-15 back at Hiram Bithorn Stadium and at Angel Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Angels. Again the top two teams in the four-team second-round brackets will each move on to the semifinals and finals to be held in San Diego Padres on March 18-20.
Schedule
Tickets go on sale December 10, 2006 for games in Puerto Rico and December 12, 2006 for games in the United States. Here are the details for the games to be played in Arizona, and the times shown are local Arizona time:
Tues. March 7, 2 pm, USA v Mexico at Chase Field
Tues. March 7, 7 pm, Canada v South Africa at Scottsdale Stadium
Wed. March 8, 2 pm, USA v Canada at Chase Field
Wed. March 8, 7 pm, Mexico v South Africa at Scottsdale Stadium
Thurs. March 9, 6 pm, Canada v Mexico at Chase Field
Fri. March 10, 1 pm, USA v South Africa at Scottsdale Stadium
Tickets
One of the stranger issues about the World Baseball Classic revolves around the purchasing of tickets. You can't just buy tickets for one game. You must buy tickets for all games at a particular venue. So, for games at Chase Field you must buy 3 World Baseball Classic tickets for each seat. For games at Scottsdale Stadium you must buy 4 tickets for each seat, which includes 3 World Baseball Classic games being played at Scottsdale Stadium PLUS a special exhibition game of the USA team vs. the San Francisco Giants on March 5, 2006. Wow, that's complicated!
Pricing
Prices for the three games at Chase Field start at $30 per seat ( for all 3 games) and go up to $150 in VIP and pool areas. At Scottsdale Stadium, the range of prices is between $50 and $110 for all 4 games there.
More Details about the World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic Official Site, Buy Tickets
Map and Directions to Chase Field
Map and Directions to Scottsdale Stadium
Chase Field Seating Chart
Seating Chart for Scottsdale Stadium
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