The 0.029 car split the joys and sorrows. This is the story of Group A of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), where the competition for the ‘everything’ ranking took place. In the end, it was Italy that survived.
Italy defeated the Netherlands 7-1 in the final Group A match held at Zhouji Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan on the 12th. In the meantime, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Italy, Panama and Cuba, all in Group A, finished the group stage with 2 wins and 2 losses.
According to the competition rules, when the winning rate is the same, the top team is first covered according to the winner-to-win principle between teams. In Group A, this criterion was meaningless as all teams bit and bit. The next criterion is the ‘minimum run rate’ divided by the out counts caught by the defense. While Cuba caught 108 outs, only 15 runs were allowed, leading the group with a run rate of 0.139. Italy ranked second with 0.157, 0.029 ahead of the Netherlands (0.186). Panama was fourth with 0.200, and Taiwan was fifth with 0.295.
If the run rate was the same, the ranking would have been covered by the ‘ERA’, which is the earned run divided by the out count. Italy also ranked second in earned run rate (0.139), following Cuba (0.120). When the earned runs are the same, the team batting average is the ranking criterion. Italy’s team batting average in the group stage was 0.283, third in the group following Cuba (0.319) and Chinese Taipei (0.317). If the team batting average is the same, the final ranking is covered by lottery.
Currently, Mike Piazza (55), who formed a battery with Park Chan-ho (50) and Seo Jae-eung (46) in the American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB), is holding the helm of the Italian national team. Piazza, an Italian-American who represented Italy in the first WBC in 2006, started growing a mustache ahead of the tournament at the request of the players. Piazza, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, believed that if he grew a mustache like he did in his MLB heyday, he would bring good energy to the team.
During the tournament,스포츠토토 the espresso machine placed in the dugout in Italy also drew attention. The Italian national team even provided paper cups and sugar so that the players could drink coffee during the game. “Coffee is like water to Italians,” said Piazza.
Italy will play the home team Japan in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on the 16th at the Tokyo Dome. Cuba faces Australia for a ticket to the semifinals at the same time and place on the 15th, a day earlier.