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FuzzyRussianHat · 05-27-2024, 05:44 AM

The 58^th World Baseball Championship returned to the United States for the first time since 1990, hosted in Miami, Florida. The lone team to go unbeaten in Divisional play was 9-0 Mexico atop the D1 standings. Panama was their closest competitor at 7-2. This was the 25^th time advancing for the Mexicans, who missed out the prior two years.

In D2, the United States and Taiwan tied for first at 7-2, while Poland was just behind at 6-3. The head-to-head tiebreaker favored the Taiwanese, ousting the reigning champion US. This was only the 10^th time in WBC history that the Americans didn’t advance to the elite eight. It was the seventh division title for Taiwan, but their first since 1998.

After back-to-back years without a division title, Canada claimed D3 at 7-2. They edged out China by one game, preventing the Chinese from a third straight division title. The Canadians moved forward for the 35^th time. Division 4 had Guatemala and Japan tied at 7-2, while the Philippines and Romania were both 6-3. The Guatemalans had the tiebreaker for only their third-ever division title (1985, 1968).

India at 7-2 earned the Division 5 crown, topping Cuba by one game. It was the fourth division win for the Indians, ending a three-year drought. South Korea claimed Division 6 at 8-1 with only 6-3 South Africa giving chase. The Koreans were the only team from the 2003 elite eight to make it back in 2004. This was SK’s 19^th time moving forward.

France picked up Division 7 at 7-2, topping Myanmar by one. It was the tenth division title for the French and first since 2000. Lastly, Italy and Nigeria tied for Division 8 at 7-2, while Indonesia was 6-3. The Italians earned a 12^th division title with the head-to-head tiebreaker. Italy hadn’t gotten that far since taking runner-up in 1988.

Round Robin Group A had Mexico and Canada both advancing at 4-2, while France went 3-3 and Guatemala finished 1-5. The Canadians earned a 26^th semifinal appearance, their first since taking fourth in 2000. It was the fifth in eight years for the Mexicans and their 15^th overall. Group B was led by last year’s finalist South Korea at 4-2 for a 12^th final four appearance. Taiwan and India tied at 3-3, while Italy was 2-4. Taiwan advanced on the tiebreaker for their seventh semifinal (and first since 1998).

Taiwan outlasted Mexico 3-2 in the semifinal for their second-ever finals berth. The Taiwanese were the 1980 runner-up against the Czech Republic. Canada downed South Korea 3-1 for their first championship appearance since their 1995 title. It was the 16^th finals for the Canadians, who were 6-9 in their prior tries. Mexico officially was third for the fourth time. The Koreans finished fourth for the second time.

In the 58^th World Championship, Canada denied Taiwan’s bid to be a first-time winner. The Canadians won the series 4-2 for their seventh title (1954, 59, 67, 86, 91, 95, 04), which is second only to the Americans.

The WBC MVP went to South Korea LF Seok-Hyeon So. A 32-year old in his tenth season with the Chinese League’s Shenyang, So had 19 starts with 17 hits, 15 runs, 10 home runs, 17 RBI, 15 walks, a .254/.398/.731 slash, and 1.5 WAR. France’s George Laporte was the Best Pitcher, a 25-year old closer from the Caribbean island of Martinique. A fifth-year back-end reliever for MLB’s Memphis, Laporte tossed 11 scoreless innings in eight appearances with six saves, 25 strikeouts, and two hits allowed.

Other notes: Canada’s Timothy Shibuya set a tournament record with five complete games. Taiwan’s Kan-Lin Tung set a bad record with five losses. The defending TPA Pitcher of the Year went 1-5 with a 3.35 ERA over 45.2 innings, pitching merely average with poor run support. Turkey’s Ali Ozyazici became the ninth to hit four home runs in a WBC game, doing it against Uganda. Israel’s Liagat Fawzy was the 11^th to hit for the cycle, doing it versus Malaysia.

2004 had three no-hitters and notably, two perfect games. Prior to that, there were only five perfect games in WBC history. Argentina’s Lobo Alvarado struck out 20 his perfecto against North Korea, setting a record for Ks in a WBC perfect game. Mexico’s Pablo Ortiz had a 17 strikeout perfect game in the semifinals against Taiwan. Additionally, the Netherlands’ Lance de Ruiter had a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts and two walks versus Portugal.

Below are the overall tournament stats. Mexico is now tied for fifth with China after their third place finish.

05-27-2024, 05:44 AM	#1281
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,088	2004 World Baseball Championship The 58^th World Baseball Championship returned to the United States for the first time since 1990, hosted in Miami, Florida. The lone team to go unbeaten in Divisional play was 9-0 Mexico atop the D1 standings. Panama was their closest competitor at 7-2. This was the 25^th time advancing for the Mexicans, who missed out the prior two years. In D2, the United States and Taiwan tied for first at 7-2, while Poland was just behind at 6-3. The head-to-head tiebreaker favored the Taiwanese, ousting the reigning champion US. This was only the 10^th time in WBC history that the Americans didn’t advance to the elite eight. It was the seventh division title for Taiwan, but their first since 1998. After back-to-back years without a division title, Canada claimed D3 at 7-2. They edged out China by one game, preventing the Chinese from a third straight division title. The Canadians moved forward for the 35^th time. Division 4 had Guatemala and Japan tied at 7-2, while the Philippines and Romania were both 6-3. The Guatemalans had the tiebreaker for only their third-ever division title (1985, 1968). India at 7-2 earned the Division 5 crown, topping Cuba by one game. It was the fourth division win for the Indians, ending a three-year drought. South Korea claimed Division 6 at 8-1 with only 6-3 South Africa giving chase. The Koreans were the only team from the 2003 elite eight to make it back in 2004. This was SK’s 19^th time moving forward. France picked up Division 7 at 7-2, topping Myanmar by one. It was the tenth division title for the French and first since 2000. Lastly, Italy and Nigeria tied for Division 8 at 7-2, while Indonesia was 6-3. The Italians earned a 12^th division title with the head-to-head tiebreaker. Italy hadn’t gotten that far since taking runner-up in 1988. Round Robin Group A had Mexico and Canada both advancing at 4-2, while France went 3-3 and Guatemala finished 1-5. The Canadians earned a 26^th semifinal appearance, their first since taking fourth in 2000. It was the fifth in eight years for the Mexicans and their 15^th overall. Group B was led by last year’s finalist South Korea at 4-2 for a 12^th final four appearance. Taiwan and India tied at 3-3, while Italy was 2-4. Taiwan advanced on the tiebreaker for their seventh semifinal (and first since 1998). Taiwan outlasted Mexico 3-2 in the semifinal for their second-ever finals berth. The Taiwanese were the 1980 runner-up against the Czech Republic. Canada downed South Korea 3-1 for their first championship appearance since their 1995 title. It was the 16^th finals for the Canadians, who were 6-9 in their prior tries. Mexico officially was third for the fourth time. The Koreans finished fourth for the second time. In the 58^th World Championship, Canada denied Taiwan’s bid to be a first-time winner. The Canadians won the series 4-2 for their seventh title (1954, 59, 67, 86, 91, 95, 04), which is second only to the Americans. The WBC MVP went to South Korea LF Seok-Hyeon So. A 32-year old in his tenth season with the Chinese League’s Shenyang, So had 19 starts with 17 hits, 15 runs, 10 home runs, 17 RBI, 15 walks, a .254/.398/.731 slash, and 1.5 WAR. France’s George Laporte was the Best Pitcher, a 25-year old closer from the Caribbean island of Martinique. A fifth-year back-end reliever for MLB’s Memphis, Laporte tossed 11 scoreless innings in eight appearances with six saves, 25 strikeouts, and two hits allowed. Other notes: Canada’s Timothy Shibuya set a tournament record with five complete games. Taiwan’s Kan-Lin Tung set a bad record with five losses. The defending TPA Pitcher of the Year went 1-5 with a 3.35 ERA over 45.2 innings, pitching merely average with poor run support. Turkey’s Ali Ozyazici became the ninth to hit four home runs in a WBC game, doing it against Uganda. Israel’s Liagat Fawzy was the 11^th to hit for the cycle, doing it versus Malaysia. 2004 had three no-hitters and notably, two perfect games. Prior to that, there were only five perfect games in WBC history. Argentina’s Lobo Alvarado struck out 20 his perfecto against North Korea, setting a record for Ks in a WBC perfect game. Mexico’s Pablo Ortiz had a 17 strikeout perfect game in the semifinals against Taiwan. Additionally, the Netherlands’ Lance de Ruiter had a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts and two walks versus Portugal. Below are the overall tournament stats. Mexico is now tied for fifth with China after their third place finish. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)