World Baseball Classic promises to be compelling viewing with superstars competing

TOKYO — The 2023 World Baseball Classic is shaping up to be the most competitive tournament in its history.

The quality of play has always been at a high level, as evidenced by Samurai Japan in 2006 and 2009, led by Ichiro and Daisuke Matsuzaka, and the team from the Dominican Republic in 2013.

But now it stands to go higher as the USA will field its strongest team ever.

This marks a change for the Americans, who have never really taken the tournament that seriously, even though they finally won the WBC in 2017.

Americans have always viewed baseball in March as in terms of getting in shape for the season to come, in marked contrast to the Japanese who are already in condition, having begun ‘voluntary training’ immediately after the New Year’s holidays, and started dawn to dusk spring training sessions by Feb. 1.