How did Team USA fare in previous editions of World Baseball Classic? Retracing defending champions' previous performances

It's the middle of March, and the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is in full swing. Baseball fans across the USA are excited to see their country complete in what can be compared to baseball's version of a World Cup tournament.

Unlike MLB, the WBC is not held annually. The last time the tournament was played was in 2017. This makes the ongoing one in 2023 even more important and historic, as the next one will not be until 2026.

It's no secret that the majority of baseball fans are Americans. After all, the sport was created and popularized in the US. So it's not surprising that a lot of fans are wondering whether their beloved US national team has a chance of winning the WBC.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict the future or know what will happen. However, looking at how the US performed in previous tournaments is the next best way to get a feel for their chances this year.

But first, it is important to understand how the tournament is played. The 16 teams that qualify are split into four groups. In round one, they play in a round-robin format within their groups, with the top two from each group moving on to Round Two.

The remaining eight teams are split into two groups and play their groupmates. The top two from both of the new groups advance to the knockout stage. Here, the first and second places from each group play each other in the semifinals, and the winner of both semifinals play in the finals.

With the rules out of the way, it's time to revisit how the US did in past World Baseball Classics.

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2006 WBC

In the inaugural year of the event, the US did not play as well as it should have. Although they placed second in Group B and advanced to the second round, their luck soon ran out. In round two, they beat eventual-tournament-winner Japan, but fell to South Korea and Mexico, putting them in third place.

South Korea and Japan qualified for the next stage from their group, and Japan won the final 10-6 against Cuba.

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2009 WBC

In 2009, the United States had a significant advantage, having been grouped with two poor teams, Canada and Italy. They easily advanced to the second round, where they beat the Netherlands and Puerto Rico in addition to losing to Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

This bought them a ticket to the knockout stage, where they were set to face Japan. Unfortunately, they were trounced 9-4 by Japan, who ended up winning back-to-back tournaments.

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2013 WBC

This time, the US got off to another strong start, finishing first in Group D of round one. But their tournament run hit a brick wall in round two, when they lost two important games: against Puerto Rico 3-4, and against the Dominican Republic 1-3.

Some consolation can be taken from the fact that both teams the US lost to ended up being champions and runners-up in the event.

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2017 WBC

The latest WBC was the greatest for the United States. After three false starts, the US finally won the championship in 2017.

In round one, they scraped by with two wins and one loss in Group C. In the second round, they came second, barely advancing to the final stage on tiebreaks. The US edged out Japan in a low-scoring 2-1 victory in the semifinals, but in the finals, they recorded a blow-out win against Puerto Rico, scoring eight runs while holding them scoreless.

As shown in the past, the US has not always been perfect in the WBC. However, based on the most recent results, their chances of winning the 2023 tournament are promising.