Canada to open World Baseball Classic on March 9th
By: Adam Morissette
Baseball Canada
OTTAWA-Canada will face defending champion Dominican Republic at Marlins Park in Miami on Thursday, March 9th (6pm ET) to open the 2017 World Baseball Classic as World Baseball Classic, Inc. yesterday announced the full tournament schedule.
Placed in Pool C for the First Round, Canada will face first-time WBC entry Colombia on Saturday, March 11th (Noon ET) before taking on the United States on Sunday, March 12th (7pm ET).
The First Round will feature a round-robin format with the top two teams in each of the four pools advancing to one of two Second Round pools. For the time in WBC history a tiebreaker game will be used if necessary to determine the second place team in the First and Second Rounds.
The match-up between Canada and the Dominican Republic will be a first for the two nations in World Baseball Classic competition. The last time both countries met in international play occurred at the 2015 Pan American Games where Canada came away with a 4-1 victory.
Colombia will play in the World Baseball Classic for the first-time ever after winning a WBC Qualifier tournament last March in Panama. Like the Dominican Republic, Canada last met Colombia in international competition at the 2015 Pan Am Games and defeated the South American nation, 10-4.
Canada and the United States have met in all three World Baseball Classic events to date with the US holding the edge with two wins and one loss. The most recent meeting between both countries was a memorable one for Canadian baseball fans as Canada won a thrilling 7-6 extra –innings game to win the gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Ajax, Ontario.
Canada will play two exhibition contests in preparation for the World Baseball Classic prior to travelling to Miami. On March 6th, Canada will face the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin before facing the New York Yankees on March 7th at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay.
Ticket strips for WBC games played at Marlins Park in Miami (First Round) and Petco Park in San Diego (Second Round) – which will include tickets for all games at that particular venue – will be available at worldbaseballclassic.com beginning on Thursday, November 17th.