WBC Wrap-up

The World Classic of Baseball ended with Japan's 10-6 championship victory over Cuba. Despite team USA's early exit and other more serious flaws, I think the tournament was a major success. It was fascinating watching national teams, some with very different playing styles. After watching the tournament, watching a couple Japanese baseball games has become another life goal of mine (as well as trying to copy their hitting techniques). The games were close, and teams like Japan, Korea, Cuba and the Dominican Republic played great, which will surly increase national pride and the popularity of baseball in those countries.

There were some flaws that need to be considered for the next tournament though. First of all, the games were very low-scoring despite having some of the scariest batting line-ups you could imagine. The reason for this was definitely not dominant pitching, but instead hitting that wasn't back on track after winter break. It takes a while for hitters to get their bat speed and pitch recognition back to regular season levels, and the tournament started long before the hitters were ready.

I also have a major problem with a pitch count rule that applies to all teams. Although it was meant to prevent injuries to Major League pitchers, there were teams (Japan for one) whose pitchers were ready to throw more pitches. This puts them at a disadvantage when they have to take out a pitcher that is on a roll and replace him with someone else all because of an arbitrary rule that isn't used at any other time in baseball.

Both of these problems hint at the awkward timing of the tournament. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a better time. Hosting the tournament at the end of a long baseball season would likely attract fewer stars who are ready to start their off-season. The only scenario I see as a possibility would be in the middle of the season, similar to what hockey does with its professionals during the Olympics. It could even be thought of as an extended international all-star break. No matter when they have it though, it promises to be just as compelling next time.