The 2023 World Baseball Classic is, as always, an international affair, with two of its four pools being played in the Eastern Hemisphere and the other two being played in the West.
The three host countries are Chinese Taipei, Japan, and the United States, with the U.S. hosting two pools and the championship round.
Quarterfinals will be played in the United States and Japan, before the semifinals and championship descend upon Miami's LoanDepot Park to round out the tournament.
This marks the first time the World Baseball Classic final won't be played on the West Coast in the USA.
MORE: World Baseball Classic schedule 2023: Dates, times, channels for every game
Where are World Baseball Classic pools being played?
Four ballparks are hosting pools in the 2023 WBC. Pool A is in Chinese Taipei's Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium. Pool B is in the Tokyo Dome. Pool C will be at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, and Pool D is at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
Each stadium is going to host 10 games in a round-robin style tournament.
Here's what to know about these respective ballparks.
Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium (Pool A)
Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Chinese Taipei was opened in 2006.
The ballpark has a capacity of 20,000 people, and is no stranger to the early rounds of the World Baseball Classic.
It's the home of the CTBC Brothers, part of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Here are the dimensions of the park:
Area | Distance |
Left-field line | 325 feet |
Left-center | 379 feet |
Center | 400 feet |
Right-center | 379 feet |
Right-field line | 325 feet |
The stadium doesn't have quirky alleyways or the like, it's a symmetrical stadium. So it won't favor right- or left-handed bats.
MORE: When does the World Baseball Classic start?
The Pool A schedule in this park is as follows:
Date | Time | Matchup | Channel |
March 7 | 11 p.m. | Cuba vs. Netherlands | FS1 |
March 8 | 6 a.m. | Panama vs. Chinese Taipei | FS2 |
March 8 | 11 p.m. | Panama vs. Netherlands | FS2 |
March 9 | 6 a.m. | Italy vs. Cuba | Tubi |
March 9 | 11:30 p.m. | Cuba vs. Panama | FS1 |
March 10 | 6 a.m. | Italy vs. Chinese Taipei | Tubi |
March 10 | 11 p.m. | Panama vs. Italy | FS1 |
March 11 | 6 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Chinese Taipei | FS2 |
March 11 | 11 p.m. | Chinese Taipei vs. Cuba | FS2 |
March 12 | 7 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Italy | FS2 |
Tokyo Dome (Pool B)
The Tokyo Dome is the home of the Yomiuri Giants. Opened in 1988, it's the oldest stadium in this year's World Baseball Classic.
The Tokyo Dome has hosted 10 MLB games since 2000, with the last one being in 2019 between the Mariners and the Athletics. Its capacity is 45,600, and has been the home of the Giants since its opening. It also previously hosted the Nippon-Ham Fighters before the opening of the Sapporo Dome in 2004.
The Tokyo Dome has hosted games in every World Baseball Classic to date -- pools in 2006 and 2009, the second round in 2013, and pools and the second round in 2017. This year, it will host pools and quarterfinals.
Its dimensions:
Area | Distance |
Left-field line | 329 feet |
Left-center | 360 feet |
Center | 400 feet |
Right-center | 360 feet |
Right-field line | 329 feet |
The Tokyo Dome is also symmetrical down right and left field.
Here are the games that will be played here in pools.
Date | Time | Matchup | Channel |
March 8 | 10 p.m. | Australia vs. South Korea | FS1 |
March 9 | 5 a.m. | China vs. Japan | FS2 |
March 9 | 10 p.m. | Czech Republic vs. China | Tubi |
March 10 | 5 a.m. | Korea vs. Japan | FS2 |
March 10 | 10 p.m. | China vs. Australia | FS2 |
March 11 | 5 a.m. | Czech Republic vs. Japan | FS1 |
March 11 | 10 p.m. | Czech Republic vs. Korea | FS1 |
March 12 | 6 a.m. | Japan vs. Australia | FS1 |
March 12 | 11 p.m. | Australia vs. Czech Republic | FS2 |
March 13 | 6 a.m. | Korea vs. China | FS2 |
Chase Field (Pool C)
Located in Phoenix, Arizona, Chase Field is the home of the Diamondbacks and it will host Team USA's pool, Pool C. Opened in 1998, Chase Field has a retractable roof and a capacity of 48,405.
The stadium has also hosted games for the WBC before, including in the first round of the inaugural 2006 tournament. It also hosted pools in 2013.
Chase Field is the first ballpark on this list to have some quirks to its dimensions. For example, there are deeper parts of the ballpark than dead center, with right and left center being slightly further back. It's also slightly shallower down the left field line than right.
Area | Distance |
Left-field line | 330 feet |
Left-center | 374 feet |
Center | 407 feet |
Right-center | 374 feet |
Right-field line | 334 feet |
Surrounding dead center are walls of 413 feet on both sides.
MORE: Breaking down Team USA's World Baseball Classic 2023 roster
Here is the Pool C schedule at Chase Field.
Date | Time | Matchup | Channel |
March 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Colombia vs. Mexico | Fox |
March 11 | 10 p.m. | Great Britain vs. USA | Fox |
March 12 | 3 p.m. | Great Britain vs. Canada | FS1 |
March 12 | 10 p.m. | Mexico vs. USA | FS1 |
March 13 | 3 p.m. | Colombia vs. Great Britain | FS2 |
March 13 | 10 p.m. | Canada vs. USA | FS1 |
March 14 | 3 p.m. | Canada vs. Colombia | FS2 |
March 14 | 10 p.m. | Great Britain vs. Mexico | FS1 |
March 15 | 3 p.m. | Mexico vs. Canada | FS2 |
March 15 | 10 p.m. | USA vs. Colombia | FS1 |
LoanDepot Park (Pool D)
Pool D is playing in Miami's LoanDepot Park, another retractable-roof stadium that opened in 2012.
LoanDepot Park is the home of the Marlins, and it also features some architectural quirks. Its capacity is 37,442 with standing room.
Similar to Chase Field, it is asymmetrical, and is slightly deeper down the left field line, as opposed to right. To dead center it is 407 feet.
Area | Distance |
Left-field line | 344 feet |
Left-center | 386 feet |
Center | 407 feet |
Right-center | 392 feet |
Right-field line | 335 feet |
Pool D schedule:
Date | Time | Matchup | Channel |
March 11 | 12 p.m. | Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico | FS2 |
March 11 | 7 p.m. | Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela | FS1 |
March 12 | 12 p.m. | Nicaragua vs. Israel | FS2 |
March 12 | 7 p.m. | Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico | FS1 |
March 13 | 12 p.m. | Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua | FS2 |
March 13 | 7 p.m. | Israel vs. Puerto Rico | FS1 |
March 14 | 12 p.m. | Nicaragua vs. Venezuela | FS2 |
March 14 | 7 p.m. | Israel vs. Dominican Republic | FS2 |
March 15 | 12 p.m. | Venezuela vs. Israel | FS2 |
March 15 | 7 p.m. | Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic | FS2 |
Miami artist Rigo León designed these beautiful World Baseball Classic baseballs located around the city of Miami.
— loanDepot park (@loanDepotpark) March 3, 2023
Coconut Grove
Little Havana
Dolphin Mall
Downtown Doral
Coral Gables
📸 Kraig305
📸 josepixels#WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/Ys82e4sykL
Following pool play in these four stadiums the games will be condensed to two stadiums for quarterfinals: The Tokyo Dome and LoanDepot Park.
Where are World Baseball Classic quarterfinals being played?
Japan's Tokyo Dome and the United States' LoanDepot Park will be the sites for the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic.
Japan will begin hosting its quarterfinal matchups between the top two seeds of Pools A & B on March 15, whereas Miami will take in four teams from Pools C & D on March 17.
MORE: Breaking down the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic 2023 roster
Here is the quarterfinal schedule:
Date | Time | Site | Matchup | Channel |
March 15 | 6 a.m. | Tokyo | Pool B runner-up vs. Pool A winner | FS2 |
March 16 | 6 a.m. | Tokyo | Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B winner | FS2 |
March 17 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D winner | FS1 |
March 18 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Pool D runner-up vs. Pool C winner | Fox |
Where is the World Baseball Classic championship round being played?
LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida will be hosting two semifinal games and a championship game on March 19-21. The schedule for that is as follows:
Semifinals
Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | Channel |
March 19 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Quarterfinal 1 winner vs. Quarterfinal 3 winner | FS1 |
March 20 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Quarterfinal 2 winner vs. Quarterfinal 4 winner | FS1 |
Championship
Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | Channel |
March 21 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner | FS1 |
Where have previous WBC championships been played?
The United States has hosted every World Baseball Classic championship to date. Every final until 2017 has been played in California, with Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles hosting twice.
Year | Venue | Location |
2006 | Petco Park | San Diego, California |
2009 | Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles, California |
2013 | AT&T Park (Now Oracle Park) | San Francisco, California |
2017 | Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles, California |
2023 | LoanDepot Park | Miami, Florida |