World Baseball Classic Rules
Table introducing The World Baseball Classic Rules
Eligibility
In addition to the standard
A player is eligible to participate on a World Baseball Classic team if any one of the following criteria is met:[1]
- The player is a citizen of the nation the team represents.
- The player is qualified for citizenship or to hold a passport under the laws of a nation represented by a team, but has not been granted citizenship or been issued a passport; in this case, the player may be made eligible by World Baseball Classic Inc.[clarification needed] upon petition by the player or team.
- The player is a permanent legal resident of the nation or territory the team represents.
- The player was born in the nation or territory the team represents.
- The player has one parent who is, or if deceased was, a citizen of the nation the team represents.
- The player has one parent who was born in the nation or territory the team represents.[2]
Pitch counts
A pitcher cannot pitch more than:
- 85 pitches per game in the Qualifying Round (all tournaments since 2013, when this round was introduced)
- 65 pitches per game in the First Round (all tournaments except 2009, in which the limit was 70)
- 80 pitches per game in the Second Round (all tournaments except 2009, in which the limit was 85)
- 95 pitches per game in the Championship Round (all tournaments except 2009, in which the limit was 100)
A pitcher can still finish a batter's plate appearance even if the limit is reached, but must come out after completing the plate appearance.
A pitcher cannot pitch until:
- a minimum of four days have passed since he last pitched, if he threw 50 or more pitches when he last pitched
- a minimum of one day has passed since he last pitched, if he threw 30 or more pitches when he last pitched
- a minimum of one day has passed since any second consecutive day on which the pitcher pitched
Mercy rules
To prevent one-sided contests, games are ended early if one team is ahead by:
- 10 or more runs after any complete inning, beginning with the completion of the seventh inning, or;
- 15 or more runs after any complete inning, beginning with the completion of the fifth inning[3]
These mercy rules do not apply during the knockout stage.[4]
Designated hitter
The designated hitter rule applies for all games.[5]
Extra innings
From 2009 through 2017, starting with the 11th inning, teams automatically start with runners on first and second base.
In 2023, the rule was changed to bring the WBC in line with Major League Baseball. The 2023 World Baseball Classic rules and regulations reads: "For any inning beginning with the 10th inning, the Federation Team at bat shall begin the inning with a runner on second base. The batter who leads off an inning shall continue to be the batter who would lead off the inning in the absence of this extra-innings rule. The runner on second base shall be the player (or a substitute for such player) in the batting order immediately preceding the batter who leads off the inning."[9]
Video replay review
Beginning in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, video review is available for all situations as it would be during a Major League Baseball regular season game.[9]
Run differential
Unlike regular season play, where the number of runs by which a team wins a game is not relevant, the number of runs by which a WBC team wins may be relevant if a tie later develops in the standings. In such cases, teams are ranked by their
These tiebreakers were changed starting in the 2017 WBC to be "fewest runs allowed per inning of defense in head-to-head games", which still places an emphasis on scoring as many runs as possible (whilst also allowing the fewest runs as possible).
See Also
References
- ^ "World Baseball Classic Qualifier Rules and Regulations". Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Dan Serafini Wins One For Team Italy". March 10, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
- ^ "Rules". World Baseball Classic.
- ^ "World Baseball Classic rule guide: Pitch count, mercy rules, DH". RSN. February 16, 2023.
- ^ "World Baseball Classic: About - Rules". Archived from the original on February 9, 2013.
- ^ "About World Baseball Classic". worldbaseballclassic.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ "WBC adopts extra-inning rule". ESPN. Associated Press. January 30, 2009.
- ^ Baer, Bill (March 21, 2017). "WBC's extra-innings rule cheapens Puerto Rico's win, sadly". NBCSports.com.
- ^ a b "2023 World Baseball Classic rules and regulations". MLB.com.
- ^ "Major changes coming to international baseball and softball, World Cups". wbsc.org. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
Following the WBSC World Cup/Tournament Commission's recommendation, the team with the best Team Quality Balance (TQB) will advance or place higher in the final standings. The TQB is calculated this way: runs scored/inning played at bat-runs allowed/innings playing on defense.