WBC 2017: Schedule, game times, and TV info

As of this morning, the 2017 World Baseball Classic is underway. You probably did not set your alarm to get up at 4:30am and watch Israel play Korea. That’s OK. There aren’t any Orioles involved in that game anyway. You probably also won’t get up at 4:30am tomorrow to watch Jonathan Schoop and the Netherlands take on Korea. That’s OK too.

There are a half-dozen Orioles who will be on the rosters for the first round of play on four different teams: the defending champion Dominican Republic, the United States, Mexico, and Netherlands. You can read more about the World Baseball Classic format as well as who is playing on which team from Tyler Young.

Thankfully, you won’t have to be awake at 4:30 in the morning to see most of them. Schoop is the only Orioles player involved in the pool of teams playing in Seoul, and there are no O’s players in the Tokyo pool at all.

All games in the tournament, even the ones at weird times, will be broadcast on MLB Network. Additionally, ESPN Deportes will air Spanish broadcasts of the games.

Here’s when the Orioles-connected teams will be playing in the first round. All times listed are Eastern:

Pool C (Miami)

United States

• Friday, March 10, 6pm: vs. Colombia
• Saturday, March 11, 6:30pm: “at” Dominican Republic
• Sunday, March 12, 7pm: vs. Canada

Dominican Republic

• Thursday, March 9, 6pm: vs. Canada
• Saturday, March 11, 6:30pm: vs. United States
• Sunday, March 12, 12:30pm: “at” Colombia

The DR team will also be playing an exhibition game against the Orioles tomorrow (March 7). That won’t be televised, although you will be able to listen to it on the O’s flagship station, 105.7 FM in Baltimore.

There’s also a possible tiebreaker game if needed, scheduled for Monday, March 13, at 6pm.

Pool D (Jalisco, Mexico)

Mexico

• Thursday, March 9, 9pm: “at” Italy
• Saturday, March 11, 9:30pm: vs. Puerto Rico
• Sunday, March 12, 10pm: “at” Venezuela

For the truly dedicated, or perhaps for the nightowls or folks living abroad, don’t forget about Schoop:

Pool A (Seoul)

Netherlands

• Tuesday, March 7, 4:30am: vs. Korea
• Wednesday, March 8, 4:30am: vs. Chinese Taipei
• Wednesday, March 8, 10pm: “at” Israel

Second round

If the Netherlands team advances into the second round - they’ve got an MLB-caliber infield thanks to Curacao and not much else - they would be playing at different times depending on whether they were the winners or runner-up in their pool. The second round (Pool E) games will be in Tokyo at 6am or late night (10-11pm) Eastern from March 11-15.

The other second round pool (Pool F) will have games played in San Diego. If either the US or the Dominican team advances - barring a surprise, both should - they’ll be playing in those games:

• Tuesday, March 14, 9pm: Pool C Winner vs. Pool D Winner
• Wednesday, March 15, 9pm: Pool D Runner-up vs. Pool C Runner-up
• Thursday, March 16, 10pm: Pool D Runner-up vs. Pool C Winner
• Friday, March 17, 10pm: Pool C Runner-up vs. Pool D Winner
• Saturday, March 18, 3:30pm: Pool D Winner vs. Pool D Runner-up
• Saturday, March 18, 10pm: Pool C Runner-up vs. Pool C Winner
• (tiebreaker, if needed) Sunday, March 19, 6pm

The WBC semifinals will be played in Los Angeles on March 20 and 21 at 9pm, with the championship game on March 22 at 9pm. Maybe the Orioles will have some players involved in the finals.

We’ll be following the Orioles in the WBC here on Camden Chat, so stay tuned for all you can get about Birdland on the international stage.