The first round of World Classic Baseball 2023 will begin this Tuesday, March 7 at 11:00 p.m., when two rivals from Group A, Cuba y Netherlandswill collide at the Taichung Stadium in Taiwan.
The Netherlands (Netherlands) team will try to finish the job after reaching the semifinals in each of the last two Classics. Cuba has advanced beyond the first round in the four previous editions of the event, but reaching the final in 2006 was the last time it went past the second round. This year’s tournament marks the first time in World Baseball Classic history that MLB players are eligible to play for Cuba.
History between both teams
Cuba and the Netherlands have met four times in the World Baseball Classic, with the Dutch winning three times. Cuba’s only win came in the first round of the inaugural World Baseball Classic. Cuba advanced from Group C along with Puerto Rico that year and reached the final, where they lost to Japan.
In the 2013 Clásico, the Netherlands defeated Cuba in the first match of the second round, and the two met a second time days later in an elimination clash with a spot in the semifinals on the line. The Netherlands prevailed again, coming back from a two-run deficit in the eighth inning to win 7-6. The Netherlands posted a 14-1 victory over Cuba when the two met in the second round of the 2017 Clásico.
SOURCE: MLB
