The first round of the World Baseball Classic, the leading global baseball tournament, is scheduled to be held from 5 to 17 March 2026. The winners of the top two positions in each of the four groups of four teams move on to phase two.
Dominican Republic is in Group D, playing against Venezuela, Netherlands, Israel and Nicaragua at the Miami Marlins’ stadium, the loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
Albert Pujols, who won the Caribbean Series and the Dominican Professional Winter League tournaments in 2025, is the manager of the Dominican team. Nelson Cruz is the team’s general manager.
The DR will play Nicaragua on 6 March, then the Netherlands on 8 March, Israel on 9 March and Venezuela on 11 March.
The top two winning teams from Group D will face the top two winning teams from Group C that is made up of Japan, Australia, South Korea and Taiwan. The first round of Group C will be played in Tokyo, Japan. But for the second round, the top two teams of Group C will move to Miami, Florida to confront the top two winners of Group D.
Meanwhile, the top two teams from Group B with United States, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain and Brazil will then match the top two from Group A with Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama and Colombia. These games will be played in Houston, Texas.
Japan is the team that has won the most World Baseball Classic tournaments (2006, 2009 and 2023). The Dominican Republic has only won once, in 2013, a legendary year when “platano power” prevailed. The United States won the tournament in 2017. With the recruiting of Cooperstown Hall of Fame member Albert Pujols to direct the Dominican team, hopes are high the team will bring the trophy home once more.
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Diario Libre
23 April 2023