July 25, 2012
Giants to host Semi-Finals and Finals while Marlins to Welcome Second Round Pool
World Baseball Classic, Inc. today announced the United States venues for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, which will be played at sites throughout the world in March. Chase Field and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick will serve as host venues for the first round.
"We are thrilled to be selected once again to host the preeminent international baseball tournament in the world at both Chase Field and Salt River Fields," said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. "Phoenix is a world-class city with an international fan base that showed tremendous support during the 2011 All-Star Game, so we're excited to bring the World Baseball Classic to the Valley and continue to showcase two of the best venues in all of sports to a global audience."
This is the second time that World Baseball Classic contests will be played at Chase Field, which hosted in 2006, when Scottsdale Stadium also welcomed first round games. Chase Field hosted the 2001 World Series and the 2011 Midsummer Classic.
The Semi-Finals and Finals of the 2013 World Baseball Classic will be staged at San Francisco's AT&T Park and hosted by the San Francisco Giants. Second-round games will be held at Marlins Park, which is currently in its inaugural season, and hosted by the Miami Marlins.
San Francisco will make its debut as a host city for the World Baseball Classic, succeeding San Diego's PETCO Park (2006) and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles (2009) as the host of the Semi-Finals and Finals. AT&T Park, which is currently in its 13th season as the home of the Giants, has hosted Major League Baseball's 2007 All-Star Game and the World Series in 2002 and 2010.
Miami will be a second-round host venue for the second straight World Baseball Classic, having also done so in 2009 at Dolphin Stadium. Marlins Park is a state-of-the-art retractable roof ballpark in the heart of Miami, renewing the legacy of the Orange Bowl in Little Havana.
"We are very pleased to partner with three franchises that will prove to be outstanding hosts of the 2013 World Baseball Classic," said Paul Archey, President of World Baseball Classic, Inc. "The Giants, the Marlins and the D-backs share our commitment to continuing the game's remarkable global growth, and their world-class cities and ballparks will welcome the unique brand of enthusiasm inspired by the World Baseball Classic."
"Miami, Phoenix and San Francisco are three culturally diverse, baseball-loving cities," said Timothy Slavin, a member of the WBCI Board of Directors. "We're confident each of these communities and venues will provide an unforgettable experience for players and fans from around the world."
International venues that will host 2013 World Baseball Classic games, pool composition and game dates will be announced in the weeks ahead along with information regarding ticket availability.
Venues hosting games during the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers were announced previously, and include Armin-Wolf-Baseball-Arena in Regensburg, Germany; Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City, Panama; XinZuang Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan; and Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.
Media Contacts:
| Diamondbacks Communications Patrick Courtney & Michael Teevan, MLB Greg Bouris, MLB Players Association Dennis Murphy, City of Phoenix |
602-462-6519 212-931-7878 212-826-0808 602-256-3248 |
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About the World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is the premier international baseball tournament, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, and features the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories. More than 1.5 million fans from all over the world have attended the tournament games, held in March 2006 and 2009. Team Japan is the reigning World Baseball Classic Champion, taking home both the inaugural and 2009 titles. The upcoming World Baseball Classic will be played in March 2013 and will again feature the greatest baseball-playing nations in the world. The tournament will be held every four years thereafter.
About World Baseball Classic, Inc.
World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) is a company created at the direction of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) to operate the World Baseball Classic tournament. The tournament, which is sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), is supported by MLB, the MLBPA, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), their respective players associations and other leagues and players from around the world.
About the International Baseball Federation
The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) is the world governing body for baseball, comprising 122 national member federations. Together with its member federations, the IBAF is dedicated to the promotion, development, and organization of baseball around the world. The IBAF is the sole entity recognized by the International Olympic Committee for overseeing and sanctioning all national team competition. The IBAF headquarters are located in Lausanne, Switzerland.
