OTTAWA – Since the creation of the World Baseball Classic, Canadian baseball fans have been itching to find out who will represent Team Canada as it readies to compete in the ultimate international baseball competition.
That much-anticipated moment will come Jan. 14 when Baseball Canada, as part of its National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser in Toronto, will release the names of 22 to 24 players who will compete on Canada’s 30-man roster at the first-ever World Baseball Classic.
Team Canada’s roster will be released during a 3:30 p.m. press conference at the Renaissance Toronto Hotel. Later in the evening, selected players in attendance at the banquet will be formally introduced.
“We are extremely excited about the potential of our roster to date and, most importantly, the enthusiasm and eagerness of these players to represent Canada at the World Baseball Classic,” said Baseball Canada Coach and Director of National Teams Greg Hamilton.
Baseball Canada is currently in the process of securing player approvals in order to confirm the remaining spots on its 30-man roster, which must be set prior to the start of the tournament.
Canada will play its first game against South Africa on March 7 in Scottsdale, Arizona. They will then play the United States on Wednesday, March 8th at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona before closing out the first round against Mexico on Thursday, March 9th, also at Chase Field.
The World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic, a 16-team tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), will feature many of the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories for the first time ever in March 2006.
The 16 teams invited to participate in the event have been divided into four pools of four teams for the first round of play. The four Round 1 pools will be played at venues in Japan (Tokyo Dome – Tokyo), Puerto Rico (Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan) and the United States (Chase Field – Phoenix, Arizona; Scottsdale Stadium – Scottsdale, Arizona; Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex – Orlando, Florida).
Round 2 will feature two pools of four teams each and will be played in Puerto Rico (Hiram Bithorn Stadium) and the United States (Angel Stadium – Anaheim, California). The Semi-finals and final game will be played at PETCO Park in San Diego, California.
The WBC will feature a bracket-style format with the 16 teams competing in four groups: Pool A - China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea; Pool B - Canada, Mexico, South Africa, United States; Pool C – Cuba*, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico; Pool D - Australia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Venezuela.
* participation pending
