LOS ANGELES—Fox Sports is launching its coverage of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), with the first game of the premier international baseball tournament on March 7.
The opening game will feature Cuba vs. Netherlands in Pool A play on Tuesday, March 7, from Taiwan’s Taichung Intercontinental Stadium at 11:00 PM ET on FS1, Fox Deportes and Fox Sports streaming services.
Team USA, featuring MLB All-Stars Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Tim Anderson, Trea Turner, Will Smith, Adam Wainwright and many others, makes its WBC debut Saturday, March 11, from Phoenix’s Chase Field against Pool C opponent Great Britain at 9:00 PM ET on Fox, the company reported.
Joe Davis, the voice of Fox MLB, joins first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and Sports Emmy winner John Smoltz will be in the booth for the Team USA opener. Emmy Award-winning reporter Ken Rosenthal reports from the field.
“What a fantastic way to build excitement around the 2023 baseball season, with the best players in the world facing off for pride of country,” said Mark Silverman, Fox Sports President and COO. “Wearing their country’s flag on their jerseys means a lot, raises the stakes and creates memorable moments on and off the field for the television audience.”
Fox will be covering the WBC across platforms with exclusive coverage of all 47 tournament games across Fox (3 games), FS1 (23), FS2 (18), Fox Deportes (29), Tubi (3), and the Fox Sports app in the U.S.
WBC rosters include more than 60 MLB All-Stars, 180-plus players on 40-man rosters and more than 300 players under contract with big league teams according to MLB.
Operated by MLB and the MLBPA and sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the World Baseball Classic will be contested on fields in Japan, Taiwan and the U.S., and wraps up with semifinal games at loanDepot park March 19-20 and the championship game in Miami on Tuesday, March 21.
