The 16-team field for the 2017 World Baseball Classic is officially set.
Sunday afternoon at MCU Park in Brooklyn, Israel hammered Great Britain (ISR 9, GB 1) to clinch its first ever WBC berth. They beat Great Britain (ISR 5, GB 2) and Brazil (ISR 1, GB 0) before Sunday's win in the qualifying round final.
Scenes from the celebration. 🇮🇱 👌 pic.twitter.com/egGb9aH9YB
— WBC Baseball (@WBCBaseball) September 26, 2016
Former big leaguer Jason Marquis led the way for Israel with four perfect innings Sunday. Ryan Lavarnway and Cody Decker both went deep to carry the offense. Other former big leaguers on Israel's roster include Ike Davis, Craig Breslow, Josh Zeid, Nate Freiman, and Josh Satin.
Australia, Mexico, and Colombia won their qualifying rounds earlier this year to clinch spots in the 2017 WBC. The other 12 spots were automatic bids based on 2013 WBC results. Here are the pools for next year's big event:
Pool A
Teams: Australia, China, Cuba, Japan
Venue: Tokyo Dome
Dates: March 7-10
Pool B
Teams: Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Netherlands, Israel
Venue: Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea
Dates: March 7-10
Pool C
Teams: Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, United States
Venue: Marlins Park
Dates: March 9-12
Pool D
Teams: Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela
Venue: Estadio Charros de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico
Dates: March 9-12
Pool E
Teams: Pool A winner and runner-up, Pool B winner and runner-up
Venue: Tokyo Dome
Dates: March 12-15
Pool F
Teams: Pool C winner and runner-up, Pool D winner and runner-up
Venue: Petco Park
Dates: March 14-18
Semifinals
Teams: Pool E winner vs. Pool F runner-up, Pool F winner vs. Pool E runner-up
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Dates: March 20-21
Finals
Teams: Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Date: March 22
The first and second rounds are round-robin format. The semifinals and finals are both single-game elimination. Here are the previous WBC winners:
| Year | Finals | MVP |
| 2006 | Japan 10, Cuba 6 | Daisuke Matsuzaka |
| 2009 | Japan 5, South Korea 3 (in 10 innings) | Daisuke Matsuzaka |
| 2013 | Dominican Republic 3, Puerto Rico 0 | Robinson Cano |
Provisional rosters for the 2017 WBC will be announced sometime over the winter, usually in January. We took a crack at building the Team USA roster earlier this year.
