The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament organized by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Here are the general rules and regulations for the WBC:
Eligibility
Players must be eligible to play for the national team of the country they represent. To be eligible, a player must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be a citizen of the country they represent.
- Be a permanent resident of the country they represent.
- Be born in the country they represent.
Teams
The tournament features 20 teams, divided into four pools of five teams each. The teams are selected based on a combination of international rankings and qualifying tournaments.
Format
The tournament consists of three rounds: the first round, the second round, and the championship round.
- First Round: Each pool plays a round-robin tournament. The top two teams from each pool advance to the second round.
- Second Round: The eight remaining teams are divided into two pools of four teams each. Each pool plays a round-robin tournament. The top two teams from each pool advance to the championship round.
- Championship Round: The four remaining teams play a single-elimination tournament, with the winners advancing to the championship game.
Game duration
The duration of each game is nine innings, unless the game is tied after nine innings. In that case, extra innings will be played until there is a winner.
Pitching rules
Pitchers are subject to pitch count limits, which vary depending on the round of the tournament. In the first round, pitchers are limited to 65 pitches per game. In the second round, they are limited to 80 pitches per game. In the championship round, they are limited to 95 pitches per game.
Tiebreaker rules
If two or more teams have the same record at the end of the round-robin tournament, the following tiebreaker rules will be used:
- Head-to-head record
- Fewest runs allowed per inning played in games between tied teams
- Run differential in games between tied teams
- Fewest runs allowed per inning played in all games in the round-robin tournament
- Run differential in all games in the round-robin tournament
- Fewest total runs allowed in all games in the round-robin tournament
- Coin toss
Umpiring
The tournament uses a mix of international and Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires.
Other rules
The tournament follows the rules of baseball as established by the International Baseball Federation, with a few modifications. For example, designated hitters are used in all games, regardless of the home team’s league rules.
Conclusion
Overall, the World Baseball Classic is an exciting tournament that brings together the best baseball players from around the world to compete for their respective countries.
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