WHERE THE WORLD STANDS

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1 March 22, 2017 About the World Baseball Classic Globe s Got Game: The fourth installment of the biggest international baseball tournament in the world brings many of the best players on the planet together to compete for their home countries and territories. Japan won the first two versions of the tournament, taking home trophies in 2006 and In 2013, a dominant Dominican Republic squad did not lose a game, going 8-0, in winning the title. More than 2.3 million fans from all over the world attended WBC games over the first three installments. This one-of-a-kind tournament was created to serve as a platform for increasing baseball s worldwide exposure, attracting new fans and players to the universal game of baseball. Since its debut, the World Baseball Classic has shown continued growth across the international stage, showcasing 16 different countries and territories in 2009 and expanding to 28 teams in 2013, when a new Qualifier round was introduced. A total of 12 new countries were invited to participate in the Fall 2012 event along with four teams from the 2009 tournament that were required to re-qualify for the 2013 Classic. The Qualifying Round returned for the 2017 edition of the WBC, leading to the first-ever WBC berths for the national teams of Colombia and Israel. The competitive format of the 2017 World Baseball Classic will feature at least six round robin games in each pool during the First and Second Rounds, followed by three single-elimination games in the Championship Round. The top two teams from each pool in the first two rounds will advance to the next round. For the first time, potential must-win tiebreak games will be featured during the First and Second Rounds in the event of a tie in the standings following the initial six games. For a complete schedule and ticket information, go to worldbaseballclassic.com WHERE THE WORLD STANDS We re going to have a new winner of the World Baseball Classic, no matter who wins Wednesday night s Title Game between the US and Puerto Rico. Team USA finally got to the Finals, beating Japan, 2-1, Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Adam Jones, clutch all tournament for the Americans, knocked in the go-ahead run with an RBI groundout and the pitching did the rest. Neither Puerto Rico (7-0) nor the US (5-2) has won the tournament in three previous tries. Puerto Rico bolted into the Finals with a 4-3 victory over The Netherlands in an 11-inning, white-knuckle affair Monday night that ended with Eddie Rosario s walk-off sacrifice fly. It is PR s second consecutive appearance in the Finals it lost to the Dominican Republic in 2013.

2 NEWS YOU CAN USE FINALS-LY! The WBC Finals have always been on US soil, but the Americans have never played for the tournament championship until now. Team USA beat Japan to advance to its first-ever Title Game in the Classic, improving to 5-2 in this year s tournament and overall in WBC play. It means a heck of a lot, Andrew McCutchen said. We ve got a great group of guys on this team who have dedicated this time to be able to try and win some ballgames. Sacrifices had to be made and there are no egos when that door opens. The Americans will take on Puerto Rico (7-0, 20-8 overall) at Dodger Stadium Wednesday night at 6 p.m. By virtue of its superior record, Puerto Rico is the home team. THERE S HISTORY HERE: Puerto Rico beat the US, 6-5, at Petco Park in the second round in this tournament and holds a 3-2 edge in WBC play all-time. The clubs split games in 2009 and Those games were for a Championship, but the stakes were still pretty high Team USA s victory over Puerto Rico in 09 gave the Americans a berth in the Semifinals and PR returned the favor last time, beating the US to grab a Final Four berth. A CEREMONY FOR THE WORLD: Prior to the game, a ceremony will take place featuring flags representing all 16 teams that played in the World Baseball Classic. The flags will be unfurled in the outfield following video highlights of the tournament on the scoreboard. Puerto Rico and the United States will enter the field through the bullpen with each team selecting a player to lead the group and carry their flag. WHAT A FINISH: Puerto Rico s victory Monday is the first walk-off win in the Semifinals or Finals of the WBC, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. But it s not the first extra-inning game in the do-or-die round Japan beat Korea in the 2009 Final, 5-3, in 10 innings. DRAWING A CROWD: Tuesday night s game drew 33,462 to Dodger Stadium, extending the WBC s all-time event attendance record to 1,035,155 with the Championship Game still left to play. The event went over the 1 million mark for the first time thanks to Monday s crowd of 24,865 at Dodger Stadium for Puerto Rico s 4-3 victory over The Netherlands in 11 innings The previous total attendance record was 885,212, set in 2013 The 2017 Second Round drew 354,977 making it the most-attended Second Round in the tournament s history breaking the 2013 mark of 325,282 The Tokyo Pool in the Second Round drew a total of 209,072 breaking the record for the most-attended pool in tournament history. Previously, Tokyo set the record for most-attended pool in the First Round of this year s tournament with a total of 206,534 Saturday night s USA vs. Dominican Republic match-up in San Diego drew a sold out crowd of 43,002 to Petco Park marking the largest attendance for a World Baseball Classic Second Round game held in the United States. The game also was the eighth contest in the 2017 World Baseball Classic to draw more than 40,000 fans eclipsing the 2009 tournament, which had seven games of more than 40,000. THE SCHEDULE All Times Are Local Wednesday, March 22 Championship Game: US v. Puerto Rico, 6 p.m., Dodger Stadium

3 TONIGHT S PROBABLE PITCHERS USA RHP Marcus Stroman (0-1, 3.86 ERA): Stroman was terrific in his WBC debut, throwing 4.2 scoreless innings against the Dominican Republic in Round 1, allowing only three hits while striking out four. But the 25-year-old was shakier against Puerto Rico on St. Patrick s Day, allowing six consecutive singles in a four-run first inning and taking the loss. He settled down after that, though, and did not allow another run in 4.2 innings in that Round Two start. Overall, he s allowed 11 hits, four runs and one walk in 9.1 innings in the tournament while striking out six. He is with a 3.91 ERA in three seasons in the Major Leagues. He was chosen by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2012 draft, becoming the first-ever first-round pick out of Duke University. Stroman was 9-10 with a 4.37 ERA last season in 32 starts and also made two postseason starts for the Blue Jays. He was the losing pitcher in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, but made a strong start in the AL Wild Card game against Baltimore, allowing two runs and four hits in six innings. PUERTO RICO RHP Seth Lugo (2-0, 2.45 ERA): Lugo has had a strong tournament, allowing only six hits in 11 innings and sporting a 0.64 WHIP in two Classic starts. Lugo threw 5.1 shutout innings against Venezuela in the first round and then allowed three runs and five hits in 5.2 innings in a victory over Stroman and the US in the second round. Lugo, a 27-year-old former 34 th -round pick out of Centenary College in 2011, had a breakout season for the Mets last year, and is renowned for the Major League-best spin rate he gets on his curveball (thanks, MLB.com s Statcast!). Lugo, whose grandfather was born in Puerto Rico and later relocated to Louisiana. Lugo was 5-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 17 games (eight starts) for the Mets last season and is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA so far in spring training. Team Notes WBC HISTORY: Team USA has made its first Final the Americans were Semifinalists in 2009 and are in WBC play all-time. The United States earned a trip to the semis in Los Angeles in 2009 thanks to David Wright s walk-off hit against Puerto Rico. The Americans were eliminated by eventual champion Japan. In 2013, Team USA reached the second round, but lost back-to-back games to runner-up Puerto Rico and eventual winner, the Dominican Republic. In 2006, the US beat Japan for its only win in the second round, but failed to advance after losses to Korea and Mexico. MEET THE MANAGER: Jim Leyland, who served as a Major League manager for 22 seasons for the Pirates ( ), Marlins ( ), Rockies (1999) and Tigers ( ), ranks 15th on the all-time list among MLB managers with

4 1,769 wins...was named NL Manager of the Year in 1990 and 1992 and the Manager of the Year in led the Marlins to a World Series championship in 1997 and the Tigers to American League pennants in 2006 and he was preceded as Team USA's World Baseball Classic manager by Buck Martinez (2006), Davey Johnson (2009) and Joe Torre (2013), who as MLB's Chief Baseball Officer currently is serving as the team's general manager. MR. CLUTCH: Another Team USA victory, another big contribution from Adam Jones. The Baltimore Orioles star knocked in the go-ahead run with an RBI groundout in the eighth inning Tuesday against Japan. Earlier in the tournament, Jones hit a walk-off single in a win over Colombia, a game-tying homer in the eighth inning of an eventual victory over Venezuela and made a sensational catch in center to preserve a lead in a victory over the Dominican Republic. Overall, Jones is batting.226 with two homers and five RBI. FOR STARTERS: With Tanner Roark throwing four scoreless innings and allowing only two hits against Japan, the American rotation lowered its ERA from 1.73 to 1.50 for the tournament. US starters have allowed only five earned runs and 24 hits in 30 innings and did not give up an earned run in their first 17.1 innings of the Classic. LOCKDOWN LUKE: Luke Gregerson of the Astros leads the tournament with three saves and has a 0.00 ERA in four hitless innings of work, surrendering only one walk. Overall, the Team USA bullpen has a 3.38 ERA in 32 relief innings. Sam Dyson, the winning pitcher against Japan, has retired all 15 batters he s faced. RED HOTS: Brandon Crawford and Eric Hosmer each have six-game hitting streaks, tied with four other players for second-longest in this WBC. Jurickson Profar of the Netherlands had a seven-game hitting streak. Christian Yelich has hit safely in five of the seven US games. Overall, US pitchers are third in the tournament with a 2.47 ERA (17 earned runs in 62 innings). BULLPEN BOLSTERED: The US added Melancon, the Giants closer, to the roster for the final round and he threw 0.2 scoreless innings in the Semis, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one. Melancon converted 47-of-51 save opportunities for the Pirates and Nationals last year and had a 1.64 ERA in 75 appearances. He signed a four-year, $62- million free agent contract with San Francisco this winter. Melancon, a righty, has recorded seven scoreless appearances in camp this spring. He takes Drew Smyly s place on the active roster. FINALLY, ANOTHER SEMIFINAL: The US reached the Semis for only the second time in WBC history by beating the Dominican Republic on Saturday, 6-3, in San Diego. Giancarlo Stanton hit the go-ahead homer and Adam Jones made a catch so good it ll be on highlight reels forever as the Americans beat the Dominicans for the first time in three tries in WBC play. Stanton s home run came in the fourth inning and it hit the Western Metal Supply Co. building at Petco Park. The home run was projected at 424 feet and had an exit velocity of miles per hour, according to MLB.com s Statcast. Jones, meanwhile, leapt at the wall in the seventh inning to steal a potential home run from his Baltimore teammate, Manny Machado, who tipped his helmet at Jones when he saw the ball was caught. I'm still kind of [shocked] that I even got to that ball, Jones said. I mean, off the bat, I'm just like this ball's hit really far, so just keep going, keep going. You know this California air's going to slow it down, and just never quit. That's just the style I play with. I don't mind running into a wall or two. RALLY FALLS SHORT: In the second game of Pool F play, the Americans couldn t come back. Puerto Rico built a 6-3 lead entering the ninth, helped by a Nolan Arenado throwing error that led to two runs. But Brandon Crawford tripled in two runs in the ninth and was just 90 feet from tying the score when Josh Harrison struck out for the final out. Jones, who has delivered multiple clutch hits for the US in the tourney, homered in the sixth to bring the US within 4-3. COMEBACK KIDS? The Americans won their Pool F opener with a late rally started by the guy who delivered the winning hit in their other noted rally in this tournament Jones. Jones led off the eighth inning against Venezuela with a solo homer off reliever Hector Rondon that tied the score and later in the inning Eric Hosmer hit a two-run blast as Team USA grabbed a 4-2 victory. Jonesy really, really got it started for us there, Hosmer said. Right after that swing, it just changed the whole energy in the dugout. It's one of those things where you see something like that happen, you just have a good feeling you're going to come out on top at the end of the game. ALL SMYLS: Smyly, the Seattle lefty kept alive the streak of strong US starting pitching, going 4.2 innings against Venezuela and allowing only an unearned run and three hits. He struck out eight and walked none. You couldn't ask for

5 anything more, Leyland said of Smyly s performance. He was absolutely terrific. He threw away a bunt or he wouldn't have given up anything. But I thought our pitching did a terrific job. MOVING ON: The Americans advanced to the second round for the fourth consecutive tournament by blanking Team Canada, 8-0, in Miami to finish Pool C play as the runner-up at 2-1. Duffy threw four scoreless innings. We re excited to move on to the next round, Hosmer said. We know from this point on the tournament gets tougher and tougher, but we came here, took care of business, did what we had to do, and we're going to be ready for San Diego. COMING ALIVE: Arenado, who had begun his first taste of WBC play by going 0-for-9, broke that streak with a secondinning homer and Buster Posey also homered in the first-round finale. Both blasts had impressive exit velocity, according to MLB.com s Statcast Arenado s ball was traveling 104 miles per hour and Posey s was going mph. The homers combined to go a projected 829 feet. STRIKEOUT KINGS: Paced by Duffy s seven strikeouts, US pitchers fanned 15 Canadians in their first-round matchup, matching the single-game WBC record. It s been done four times, the last time by Japan on March 3, 2013 against China. NO RELIEF, NO LATE BATS, EITHER: Team USA bolted to an early five-run lead against the defending champion Dominican Republic in the first round, but lost a heartbreaker, 7-5, to drop to 1-1. Andrew Miller, such a weapon for the Cleveland Indians during the 2016 postseason and one of the best relief arms in baseball, gave up back-to-back homers to Nelson Cruz and Starling Marte in the eighth inning. The inning had started poorly, too, with Miller (0-1) hitting Jose Bautista and giving up a single to Carlos Santana. It was the first time Miller had allowed two home runs in the same inning since July 26, 2011 when he was pitching as a starter for Boston. The bullpen fade overshadowed a dynamite performance by Stroman. The Blue Jays ace threw 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out four. He even whiffed Bautista, his Toronto teammate. THRILLS, CHILLS: Jones lifted the Americans to an exciting win in their opener with a 10 th -inning, walk-off single off Colombia reliever Guillermo Moscoso that scored Christian Yelich It is the third walk-off hit in WBC history for Team USA. The others were by Alex Rodriguez in a second-round game in 2006, lifting the Americans over Japan, and by David Wright in a second-round contest against Puerto Rico that propelled the US into the 2009 semis. Archer, the starter, threw four perfect innings, striking out three. Arenado drew raves for his hustle when he dove headfirst into first base after an errant third strike. A run came home on the play, knotting the score at 2. TEAM NOTES: The WBC could be a nice global showcase for the supremely-talented Arenado, the third baseman for the Colorado Rockies. Arenado, a two-time All-Star, has four Gold Glove Awards and has led the National League in home runs and RBI in each of the last two years. He s the first NLer since Mike Schmidt ( ) to lead the circuit in both categories in consecutive years. Arenado and Ichiro Suzuki are the only players to win Gold Gloves in each of their first four seasons there are five WBC veterans on the US roster: Gregerson, Hosmer, Jones, Jonathan Lucroy and Stanton, who were all members of the 2013 squad. WBC HISTORY: Puerto Rico s victory Monday puts it into the Finals for the second consecutive WBC. Puerto Rico lost the Title Game, 3-0, to the Dominican Republic in This time, Puerto Rico swept three games to win Pool D and advance to the second round and then clinched another trip to the Semis after winning its first two games in Pool F. Puerto Rico was fifth overall in each of the first two Classics and in 2009 lost a deciding game that would ve sent the club to the semis.

6 MEET THE MANAGER: Edwin Rodriguez skippered the Marlins in and had a record of in parts of two seasons. He has also managed in the minors in the Marlins organization and spent time as an instructor with Cleveland and Tampa Bay s systems. He played for eight years in the minor leagues and had brief stints in the Majors with the Yankees (1982) and Padres (1983, 1985). He currently is managing in Cleveland s organization and also serves as the executive director of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School in Gurabo. PITCH, HIT PUERTO RICO DOES BOTH: Puerto Rico leads the WBC with 55 runs scored they ve outscored opponents and also has the best ERA in the tourney 2.29 (16 earned runs in 63 innings). Puerto Rico is tied with Japan for the most homers in the Classic with 11 and would take over the tourney lead with one longball against the US. TAKE ME TO YOUR (WBC) LEADER: Carlos Beltran is one of the all-timers in Classic play. Entering Wednesday s Final, he was second all-time in runs (17), hits (30), doubles (seven) and total bases (46). Cuba s Frederich Cepeda is the alltime leader in each of those categories with 19 runs, 32 hits, eight doubles (tied with Canada s Justin Morneau) and 60 total bases. PINEIRO IN: Puerto Rico added Joel Pineiro to their roster in place of Jose De Leon for the Championship Round. Pineiro, 38, has not pitched in the majors since 2011 and was 5-4 with a 4.23 ERA in 13 starts in Double-A and Triple-A for Toronto in In 12 big-league seasons, Pineiro is with a 4.41 ERA. TO THE FINALS! Eddie Rosario s sac fly in the 11 th inning gave Puerto Rico the victory in a thrilling Semifinal. Rosario, a 25-year-old Twins outfielder, hit a 97 mile-per-hour fastball from Netherlands reliever Loek van Mil to center field, where it was caught by Jurickson Profar. But Carlos Correa came home with the winning run. I just concentrated on hitting a pitch to the middle, Rosario said. He threw me a perfect pitch to hit into the middle. It's everything for Puerto Rico, for my teammates, for me, for my family [to have a chance to win the Classic]. Overall in the tournament, Rosario is 6-for-17 (.353) with five RBI in five games Edwin Diaz, the Mariners 22-year-old closer, threw two scoreless innings of relief and wriggled out of a treacherous 11 th. Because of international rules, the frame started with Dutch runners on first and second. After a sac bunt and intentional walk, Diaz got Curt Smith to hit into a double play. Rosario delivered in the bottom half. Yadier Molina, defensive wizard, threw out two Dutch runners on the bases in the first inning. CARLOS THE GREAT: Correa smacked his third home run of the tournament in the first inning of the Semis, a two-run shot that had an exit velo of miles-per-hour and went 441 feet, according to MLB.com s Statcast. Correa s three homers in the tournament are the most by any Puerto Rican player in a single WBC. He is second (so far, anyway) in homers and RBI (nine) to the Netherlands Wladmir Balentien, who has four home runs and 12 RBI. The two are tied for the most runs scored, 10, in the tournament. Correa leads all players with 10 walks and is third with 18 total bases and is batting.400. DOUBLE SIXES: Puerto Rico became the second team to reach 6-0 in the tournament by beating Venezuela, 13-2, in San Diego in its pool finale. We were expecting [to have] good games and a good tournament. We were not expecting to dominate the whole tournament the way we've been doing, Rodriguez said. But we have to go to L.A. now and play there and we have to keep winning [for] two more games. So whatever we did, six games, that's in the past. We have to concentrate on what is coming, the task at hand. Starter Jose De Leon, a Rays prospect, threw 2.2 scoreless innings in his WBC debut, notching five strikeouts. LA LA LAND: Puerto Rico pierced the US rotation no other team had yet done that in the tournament with six consecutive singles to start its 6-5 victory in its second game of the second round and clinch a spot in the Final Four. Angel Pagan, Francisco Lindor, Correa, Carlos Beltran, Yadier Molina and Javier Baez all had hits off Marcus Stroman and Puerto Rico survived a late US rally. Diaz struck out Josh Harrison with the tying run on third to end the game. Starter Seth Lugo allowed five hits and three runs in 5.2 innings. After swiping just three bags in the first four games, PR stole five bases against the Americans, including three by Baez. I think the boys are having a great time, and this is a huge victory for our people, for our country, Beltran said. I know they are having a great time, and I know they are very proud. Puerto Rico, at 5-0, is one of only two unbeaten teams in the tournament, alongside 6-0 Japan. Puerto Rico now has a 3-2 advantage over the US in WBC play and clinched a semifinal berth with a victory against the Americans for the second straight Classic. REMATCH! Puerto Rico got the game it was craving for four years a 3-1 victory over the Dominican Republic in the Pool F opener. The DR beat Puerto Rico in the finals of the 2013 WBC, the third time the Puerto Ricans had lost to the DR in the tournament. The motivation was there, Rodriguez said. We were waiting for this for four years and they were at their best. Molina was the star. He tagged out Jean Segura at the plate to end the first inning as Puerto Rico snuffed what could ve

7 been a big inning. He singled in a run in the first inning and homered in the sixth. He also threw out a baserunner later for a key out. As Yadier Molina goes, the team goes, because he brings so much not only defensively, but he also brings offensively, Rodriguez said. Definitely, he s the heart of the team. Four PR relievers combined for 6.1 innings of scoreless relief. Hector Santiago, Joe Jimenez, Joseph Colon and Diaz allowed only three hits against one of the most rugged lineups in the tournament. Starter Orlando Roman gave up one run in 2.1 innings. Baez captivated the web with his swagger, pointing at Molina in celebration of the catcher s nifty throw even before Baez tagged out a runner at second base. POOR SCOREBOARD, ALL THAT WORK: Correa bashed his second homer of the tournament, a three-run shot in the fourth inning, and Beltran added a run-scoring double in PR s pool-clinching win over Italy. The 9-3 victory meant Puerto Rico won Pool D. PR scored at least nine runs in each game and outscored opponents, 29-7, in pool play. Hiram Burgos threw three scoreless innings of relief. From the beginning, from before we started practicing, once we started getting together and knew who the guys on the roster were, there wasn't a doubt that we could get past this first round because our goal is to get to the finals, get to LA and win it all, said infielder Kike Hernandez, who had two RBI Sunday. We weren't -- obviously this is WBC, so every game means the same to us. There's no small opponent to us, and we take every game as if it's the same. We're really proud. We have a lot of pride, and what we showed is what we're going to bring to the table. We're going to bring a lot of energy, a lot of passion, and we're going to play hard from the first pitch to the last pitch of the game. What you saw here is what you can expect from us. LUMINOUS LINDOR: Francisco Lindor had three hits and hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the seventh to lead Puerto Rico to a 9-4 victory over Mexico as Puerto Rico improved to 2-0 in Pool D. Baez was 2-for-5 Saturday, including a three-run homer, and Beltran was 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Once again, Puerto Rico got a stellar start as Jorge Lopez followed Lugo s opening gem by allowing only one run and two hits in 4.1 innings. Lopez struck out five. WHAT A START! Puerto Rico routed a rugged Venezuela squad in its WBC opener, winning 11-0 by the tournament s mercy rule. The game ended when the Mets T.J. Rivera smacked a two-run homer with two out in the seventh inning. Another Met, starter Lugo, had a tremendous game, allowing just one hit in 5.1 innings. Lugo, who s known for the remarkable spin rate on his curveball, retired the first 11 batters he faced and recorded the longest WBC outing by a PR pitcher. The previous longest was 4.2 innings by Burgos in the 2013 Final vs. the Dominican Republic. Molina and Correa also homered for Puerto Rico. Correa, a natural shortstop, started at third base because of the glut of shortstop stars on Puerto Rico s team. He made a diving stop on a ball hit by Sal Perez. Correa had never played third in 544 pro games between the minors and bigs. HAIR S TO TOGETHERNESS! Several of Puerto Rico s players dyed their hair and beards a shade or two lighter to promote team unity. Beltran and Giovanni Soto both bleached their beards. TEAM NOTES: With Lindor, Beltran, Correa, Baez and Molina, Puerto Rico has some of the best position players in the tournament Lindor and Baez, two bright young Major League stars, were boyhood pals. Both were born in Puerto Rico and moved to the Orlando, Fla. area when young and played against each other in high school. In 2011, Lindor was taken eighth overall in the draft by the Indians and Baez was plucked with the next pick by the Cubs. Baez is slated to play second base, Lindor will play short and Correa, the Astros shortstop, starts at third base Beltran and Molina are in the WBC for the fourth time. WBC SCOREBOARD Pool A Game 1: Israel 2, Korea 1, 10 innings Game 2: Israel 15, Chinese Taipei 7 Game 3: Netherlands 5, Korea 0 Game 4: Netherlands 6, Chinese Taipei 5 Game 5: Israel 4, Netherlands 2 Game 6: Korea 11, Chinese Taipei 8, 10 innings Pool B Game 1: Japan 11, Cuba 6 Game 2: Cuba 6, China 0 Game 3: Japan 4, Australia 1 Game 4: Australia 11, China 0 Game 5: Cuba 4, Australia 3 Game 6: Japan 7, China 1 Pool C Game 1: Dominican Republic 9, Canada 2

8 Game 2: USA 3, Colombia 2, 10 innings Game 3: Colombia 4, Canada 1 Game 4: Dominican Republic 7, USA 5 Game 5: Dominican Republic 10, Colombia 3, 11 innings Game 6: USA 8, Canada 0 Pool D Game 1: Italy 10, Mexico 9 Game 2: Puerto Rico 11, Venezuela 0, 7 innings. Game 3: Venezuela 11, Italy 10, 10 innings Game 4: Puerto Rico 9, Mexico 4 Game 5: Puerto Rico 9, Italy 3 Game 6: Mexico 11, Venezuela 9 Tiebreaker game: Venezuela 4, Italy 3 Pool E Game 1: Israel 4, Cuba 1 Game 2: Japan 8, Netherlands 6, 11 innings Game 3: Netherlands 12, Israel 2, 8 innings Game 4: Japan 8, Cuba 5 Game 5: Netherlands 14, Cuba 1, 7 innings Game 6: Japan 8, Israel 3 Pool F Game 1: Puerto Rico 3, Dominican Republic 1 Game 2: USA 4, Venezuela 2 Game 3: Dominican Republic 3, Venezuela 0 Game 4: Puerto Rico 6, USA 5 Game 5: Puerto Rico 13, Venezuela 2 Game 6: USA 6, Dominican Republic 3 THE VENUE SEMIFINALS and FINALS, Los Angeles, California: Dodger Stadium is hosting Classic games for the first time since the 2009 WBC Finals. The Los Angeles Dodgers have called the classic ballpark home since 1962 and it s been the site of eight World Series (1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1988). The seating capacity is 56,000 and the playing surface is natural grass. It is 395 feet from home plate to center field and 330 feet down both foul lines to the fence. FOUR OF A KIND According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there were 21 players on Classic rosters this year who participated in each of the first three World Baseball Classic tournaments Diegomar Markwell (Netherlands), Rob Cordemans (Netherlands), Yurendell DeCaster (Netherlands), Alex Maestri (Italy), Seung-Hwan Oh (Korea), Taekyun Kim (Korea), Frederich Cepeda (Cuba), Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela), Francisco Rodriguez (Venezuela), Luke Hughes (Australia), Brad Harman (Australia), Kun Chen (China), Pete Orr (Canada), Justin Morneau (Canada), Jose Reyes (Dominican Republic), J.C. Romero (Puerto Rico), Orlando Roman (Puerto Rico), Carlos Beltran (Puerto Rico), Yadier Molina (Puerto Rico), Adrian Gonzalez (Mexico) and Oliver Perez (Mexico). Kim became the first player to appear in all four WBCs when he batted as the designated hitter for Korea in the opening game in Seoul. FANS FLOCK TO FIRST ROUND: The WBC set several attendance records in the first round of play, including for overall attendance 621,851 fans watched the action, a 34% increase over the previous mark of 463,017 set in the 2013 tournament. Pool B at the Tokyo Dome attracted the largest attendance of any pool in the tourney s history, totaling 206,534. Japan s 11-6 victory over Cuba on March 7 drew 44,908 souls, the largest attendance of the first round and the third-largest crowd in WBC history. Japan s three first-round games averaged 42,123 fans. In Pool C at Marlins Park in Miami, the firstround games drew a total of 163,878, the highest first-round total for a US pool ever in the Classic. The sold-out game between Team USA and the defending champ Dominican Republic attracted 37,446 fans, marking the largest crowd since Marlins Park opened in MVP! MVP! Puerto Rico catcher Yadier Molina, the heart of the team, according to manager Edwin Rodriguez, was named MVP of Pool F. In addition to dazzling as usual work behind the plate, Molina is hitting.353 with two homers, six RBI and four runs in the tournament. As a team, we are very happy for him, Rodriguez said. And the whole country has been watching, has been celebrating his nomination. So we re very happy and it s well-deserved. Molina was 3-for-8 (.375) with a home run and three RBI in Pool F play Wladimir Balentien of The Netherlands was selected as the Most Valuable Player of Pool E after he batted.615 (8-for-13) and put on a power display. Balentien, who set the Nippon Professional Baseball homerun record in 2013 by hitting 60 for the Yakult Swallows, homered three times in pool play and knocked in 10 runs. He also scored seven times. He finished the tournament 16-for-26 (.615) with four home runs and 12 RBI Manny Machado, the Baltimore Orioles star, was named MVP of Pool C after batting.357 with a OPS in the first round with one homer,

9 two RBI and three runs for the Dominican Republic. He also showed why he s a previous Rawlings Gold Glove winner with several sparkling plays at third base...the DR has now had the last four pool MVP s with Robinson Cano winning at all three stops in the 2013 Classic Puerto Rico shortstop Francisco Lindor copped MVP honors in Pool D after batting.455 with a OPS as his club won three straight games. He had two homers, four RBI and scored four runs Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh of Japan was named the MVP of Pool B play after bashing two home runs and batting a robust.364 in his team s three wins. The slugging outfielder, who smacked 44 homers last year for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, hit a round-tripper in each of the first two games to help Japan top Cuba and Australia and added a hit in Friday s 7-1 victory over China Ryan Lavarnway of Team Israel copped Most Valuable Player honors in Pool A, as voted upon by members of the media. Lavarnway caught all three of Israel s wins and batted.556 with a.692 on-base percentage and.889 slugging percentage. That s an eye-popping OPS. He had one home run, three RBI and three walks. WBC HONORARY HOST COMMITTEE: The Los Angeles Dodgers announced the membership of their World Baseball Classic Honorary Host Committee, which is comprised of eight Los Angeles-based Consul Generals from the 16 nations competing in the tournament. Chaired by the Dean of the Los Angeles Consular Corps, the Honorable Celeste Jimenez Pena De Amarante of the Dominican Republic, the Honorary Host Committee will focus on building camaraderie and excitement among fans and players, and act as a liaison between the Dodgers and the local and international communities. The Dodgers are honored that the following distinguished individuals will serve on the 2017 World Baseball Classic Honorary Host Committee: The Honorable Celeste Jimenez Pena De Amarante, Consul General of the Dominican Republic Chair The Honorable Chelsey Martin, Consul General of Australia The Honorable James Peter Gerard Villeneuve, Consul General of Canada The Honorable Steve C.C. Hsia, Director-General, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, Chinese Taipei The Honorable Sam Grundwerg, Consul General of Israel The Honorable Akira Chiba, Consul General of Japan The Honorable Key Cheol Lee, Consul General of the Republic of Korea The Honorable Carlos García de Alba Zepeda, Consul General of Mexico UMPIRES Wednesday, March 22 Final: HP: Eric Cooper (MLB) 1B: Lance Barksdale (MLB) 2B: Rob Drake (MLB) 3B: Byung-Ju Kim (Korean Baseball Organization) LF: Edgar Estivision (Panama) RF: Trevor Grieve (Canada) MEDIA TOOLBOX FORMAT AND LOCATIONS FIRST ROUND (ROUND ROBIN) Pool A: Chinese Taipei, Korea, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Israel at Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul, South Korea, March Pool B: Australia, China, Cuba, Japan at Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan, March Pool C: Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, USA at Marlins Park, Miami, Florida, March Pool D: Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela at Estadio Charros de Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico, March SECOND ROUND (ROUND ROBIN) Pool E: Winners, Pool A and Pool B, Runners-up, Pool A and Pool B at Tokyo Dome, March Pool F: Winner, Pool C and Pool D, Runners-up, Pool A and Pool B at Petco Park, San Diego, California, March

10 CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND (SINGLE ELIMINATION) All games at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California, March Semi-Final 1: Winner Pool F v. Runner-up Pool E Semi-Final 2: Winner Pool E v. Runner-up Pool F Title game: The two winners play for glory. LOGISTICS: There is no media access to the clubhouse during the World Baseball Classic. However, managers and players will be made available postgame. There is pregame media field access until batting practice has concluded. Following each game, the losing manager, winning manager and 2-4 players from the winning team will appear in the formal interview room. Additional players from each team also will be made available in the dugout. MLBPRESSBOX.COM: All media information regarding the 2017 World Baseball Classic, including game notes, press releases, press conference transcripts (provided by ASAP Sports), statistics, rosters and rules, are posted online at the official media web site of Major League Baseball. WBC PRESS OFFICERS: Each team has an assigned Press Officer who can help with your coverage. Here s a list. Team Japan: Ryo Shinkawa (shinkawaryo@gmail.com) Team Puerto Rico: Jerry Romo (jromo@dbacks.com) Team Netherlands: Dustin Morse (DustinMorse@TwinsBaseball.com) Team USA: Rob Butcher (rbutcher@reds.com) Media schedule in Los Angeles Wednesday, March 22 1 p.m.: Press gate opens 1:30-6:30 p.m.: Media credential distribution, Lot P 2 p.m.: Puerto Rico manager Edwin Rodriguez in the interview room 3 p.m.: USA manager Jim Leyland in the interview room 3 p.m.: Puerto Rico batting practice 3:30 p.m.: Public gates open 3:55 p.m.: USA batting practice 5 p.m.: Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. in the interview room 6:18 p.m.: Championship game of the World Baseball Classic WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC RULES The Official Baseball Rules shall be supplemented for Tournament games played by a Federation Team as follows: Pitch counts: Pitchers are limited to 65 pitches per game in Round 1, 80 pitches per game in Round 2 and 95 pitches per game in the Championship Round. Pitchers are allowed to exceed the limits to complete a batter. Pitchers who throw more than 50 pitches in any game cannot pitch again until a minimum of four days have passed. Pitchers who throw more than 30 pitches in any game cannot pitch again until a minimum of one day has passed. Pitchers cannot pitch three consecutive days. Early Termination Rule: In the first and second rounds, umpires shall call a regulation game whenever one team is ahead by 10 or more runs after any complete inning, starting with the seventh inning, or if a team is ahead by 15 or more runs after any complete inning, beginning with the completion of the fifth inning.

11 Extra Innings Rule: For any inning beginning with the 11 th, the team at the plate will start with runners on first and second. The hitter will be the one scheduled to lead off the inning. The runner at first will be the one preceding the hitter and the runner on second shall be the one immediately preceding the runner on first.