PICK! 2023 World Baseball Classic

[Firkinvald]

This is a contest to test your ability (and luck) to pick the winners in each round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Five teams in each of the four pools at the World Baseball Classic compete in round-robin tournaments between March 8 and March 15. The top two teams from each pool then advance to the quarterfinals, which are single-elimination bracket-style games held between March 15 and March 18. The semifinals will then be held on March 19 and 20 in Miami, as will the championship game on March 21.

Each round, you will pick the winners of the matches being played. The point distribution is as follows:

Points per correct pick:

Round 1 = 1 point for each correct pick of the 8 teams that advance to the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals = 2 points for each correct pick
Semifinals = 4 points for each correct pick
Final = 8 points

The winner of this contest will receive 1 slot of cash or tech for every 3 participants, rounded up (e.g. if there are 4 participants, it would be 2 slots).

Here are the teams in each pool (top 2 advance):

Pool A: Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, Cuba, Italy, Panama
Pool B: Japan, Korea, Australia, China, Czech Republic
Pool C: United States, Mexico, Colombia, Canada, Great Britain
Pool D: Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Israel, Nicaragua

Your predictions are due on Tuesday, March 7th.

[king qaz]

Pool A: Netherlands, Cuba
Pool B: Japan, Korea
Pool C: United States, Mexico
Pool D: Venezuela, Dominican Republic

[jacka]

Pool A: Cuba, Panama
Pool B: Japan, Korea
Pool C: United States, Mexico
Pool D: Venezuela, Dominican Republic

[juleandor]

Pool A: Cuba, Panama
Pool B: Japan, Korea
Pool C: United States, Colombia
Pool D: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic

[Firkinvald]

Pool A: Netherlands, Cuba
Pool B: Japan, Korea
Pool C: United States, Mexico
Pool D: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic

[happy5214]

Pool A: Netherlands, Cuba
Pool B: Japan, Korea
Pool C: United States, Mexico
Pool D: Venezuela, Dominican Republic

[Firkinvald]

Predictions for the 1st round are:

Ruler

Taipei

Netherlands

Cuba

Italy

Panama

Japan

Korea

Australia

China

Czech Rep.

USA

Mexico

Columbia

Canada

Great Britain

Purto Rico

Venezuela

Domincan Rep.

Israel

Nicaragua

king qaz

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

juleandor

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

happy5214

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Firkinvald

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

jacka

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

[happy5214]

Pools A and B have finished. The Asia-based pools finished earlier due to travel reasons. The top-2 teams in Pool A (where all 5 teams finished 2-2) were Cuba and Italy, while Japan and Australia finished atop Pool B.

Please make quarterfinal picks for these two match-ups (worth 2 points each):

Australia vs. Cuba
Italy vs. Japan

Picks for those will be due Wednesday at 5 AM server time.

Firkinvald can compute the points now if he wants to, or wait until after Pools C and D finish. Actually, the points computation is easy. Everyone got Cuba and Japan right, and everyone missed on Australia and Italy, so we all have 2 points.

[Firkinvald]

happy5214 is correct.

Quarterfinals for teams from Pool A & B start tomorrow (3/15/23) at 6:00am EST, so yu must make your choices before then. Matchups are:

Australia vs Cuba
Italy vs Japan

Quarterfinals for Pools C & D will start Friday 3/17/23 at 7pm EST with teams to be determined.

Semifinals start Sunday 3/19/23 at 7pm EST

Final is Tuesday 3/21/23 at 7pm EST.

So, you will have to check this forum almost daily and make your predictions quickly.

My choices for the Pool A/Pool B quarterfinals are:

Cuba
Japan

[king qaz]

Cuba
Japan