The top two teams in the 2023 World Baseball Classic are separated by 800 miles and several orders of magnitude in population and economic heft. Just behind them is a team known for a different style of play and a superstar with no real precedent.

The U.S., Dominican Republic, and Japan are perhaps the greatest wellsprings of baseball talent, but the WBC shows baseball’s global reach. More than that, players are given a chance to use their talents for something deeply meaningful to them in a short but impactful tournament.

Japan and the Netherlands (which draws players from Curacao and Aruba) already look likely to advance to the elimination rounds, leaving eight others from their two groups fighting for two spots.

The WBC began in 2006, with many players, particularly in the U.S., unsure of how seriously to take it. Japan won that tournament, and the following one in 2009, before the Dominican Republic won in 2013.

The most recent WBC, in 2017, announced the arrival of the U.S. as a country that would put aside injury and other concerns and compete with much of its top talent. With baseball’s epicenter all-in and defending a title after a pandemic-induced delay, this WBC may be the most anticipated to date.

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