Variable clouds with thunderstorms. A few may be severe. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..
Tonight
Variable clouds with thunderstorms. A few may be severe. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Lars Nootbaar of Japan reacts at his team bench in 8th inning during the Pool B game between Japan and China at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) at the Tokyo Dome Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Lars Nootbaar of Japan reacts at his team bench in 8th inning during the Pool B game between Japan and China at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) at the Tokyo Dome Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
The 2023 World Baseball Classic is already underway as America's Pastime returns to the big stage for the first time in six years. Pool A and Pool B have been busy battling it out over the last few days with Pools C and D set to start their highly-anticipated showdowns in the coming days.
The United States will be looking to defend its 2017 title this year, but it faces some stiff competition from other countries across the world. This is highlighted by the fact that the Americans (+250) aren't the betting favorite to go back-to-back at Caesars Sportsbook.
The co-favorites as of March 9 are the Dominican Republic and Japan at +230 odds. These two countries, along with the United States, are the only ones to ever win the World Baseball Classic.
The Dominican roster is largely viewed as the most complete of any team in the tournament. It has star power in its pitching staff with reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins, and notable names throughout its lineup with Juan Soto (San Diego Padres), Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners), Manny Machado (Padres) and many others.
Meanwhile, Japan has arguably the best and most complete player in the world, Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels). Ohtani has already led Japan to its first win of the tournament, an 8-1 dismantling of China. The Angels superstar tallied 2 RBIs at the plate in addition to throwing four shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out five.
The United States, led by captain Mike Trout (Angels), is the only other country with better than 10-to-1 odds to win the tournament. There are question marks about whether or not Mark DeRosa's squad has enough pitching to compete with the likes of the aforementioned powerhouses. The Americans begin their title defense on Saturday against Great Britain.
Venezuela, led by Houston Astros star Jose Altuve, is seen as the "best of the rest" with +1000 odds to emerge victorious. The 2013 and 2017 Runner-Up Puerto Rico (+1400) is on the outside looking in at the tournament favorites.
Mexico (+1800) and The Netherlands (+2800) could also make some noise with Major League Baseball-heavy rosters.
Here is the full list of odds for the complete 2023 World Baseball Classic field:
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
News Updates
Would you like to receive an email newsletter alerting you to the top news stories and sports stories from The Ouachita Citizen, The Franklin Sun and the Concordia Sentinel each week? Sign up today!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.