The Dominican Republic is preparing for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) scheduled for March 2023. The Dominican Baseball Federation announced Nelson Cruz is the general director. Cruz then hose Rodney Linares as the team manager. He succeeds Tony Peña who captained the Dominican team that won the WBC in 2013. The DR came in third in the 2017 classic, behind Puerto Rico and defending champion USA.
45-year old Rodney Linares is a Dominican-American coach for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. He had held the same position with the Houston Astros. In the DR winter professional league, he has managed the Leones del Escogido, Estrellas, Aguilas and Gigantes. Linares played professionally as an infielder at the Rookie-level of minor league baseball in 1997 and 1998.
The 20-team World Baseball Classic is divided in four groups of five teams (A,B,C and D) that will play each other in the first round before moving on to the quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship round.
Team Dominican Republic will play in Pool D against Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Israel and a to-be-announced team in Miami, Florida from 11-15 March 2023.
Pool C is made up by the USA, Mexico, Colombia, Canada and the to-be-announced team and these will play in Phoenix, Arizona from 11-15 March 2023.
Pool B is made up by Japan, Korea, Australia, China and the extra qualifier team. These will play in Tokyo, Japan from 9 to 13 March 2023.
Pool A is made up by Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, Cuba, Italy and the qualifier team and will play in Taichung, Taiwan from 8 to 13 March 2023.
The four to-be-announced teams will be chosen from the qualifying events in Regensburg, Germany (from 16 to 21 September 2022) and in Panama City from 30 September to 5 October 2022.
The two best teams in each of the four pools will pass to the quarterfinals to be played in Tokyo, Japan from 15-16 March and in Miami, Florida from 17-18 March. The two best teams of each quarterfinal advance to the playoffs.
The championship game is set to be played on 21 March 2023 at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida.
Read more:
MLB
El Nuevo Diario
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Acento
2 August 2022