All ballparks set
Final venues of World Baseball Classic 2006 were settled, Cracker Jack Stadium at Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando will be the ballpark of six first-round games of Pool D.
The other first-round pools are scheduled to play at Tokyo Dome, Hiram Bithorn Stadium, and Chase Field and Scottsdale Stadium. The second round will play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium and Angel Stadium in Anaheim, with the semifinals and finals at San Diego’s PETCO Park from March 18-20.
“The Orlando area is one of the nation’s top international tourist destinations, and we are very pleased that the World Baseball Classic will be a part of that landscape,” Commissioner Bud Selig said. “Baseball historically has been a major attraction in Florida each spring, and we are confident that Disney’s Wide World of Sports will serve as an excellent host for the World Baseball Classic.”
“Our agreement with Disney to host the opening east coast round of the World Baseball Classic is another important step towards making these inaugural games the success we envision,” said Don Fehr, the union’s head. “It’s a great venue, which has played host to a number of world class events, and I know the fans, as well as the teams playing in the Disney round, will have a great experience.”
Pool D includes the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Australia and Italy. The top two teams will meet the two winners from Pool C, which include Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama and Netherlands in the second round at San Juan.
Cracker Jack Stadium, with a capacity of 9500, was opened in 1998, is the spring home of the Atlanta Braves.
Orlando to host WBC first round
Disney will host portion of Classic
