The World Baseball Classic begins tomorrow, with first-round action kicking off in Japan and Taiwan. All told, WBC contests - including the qualifying round - are played at eleven different locations, from San Francisco to Tokyo. Here's a look at the seven venues that will be featured from opening round play through the championships.
Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome - Fukuoka, Japan
The Japan Dome will play host to Pool A, which includes Japan, China, Cuba and Brazil. The dome was built in the image of the Roman Coliseum, yet its design is state of the art. It's the first stadium with a retractable roof built in Japan, and it even includes removable seats to provide space for multiple sporting events. The venue's primary job is housing the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks baseball team.
Intercontinental Baseball Stadium - Taichung, Taiwan
Intercontinental will house Pool B, which features South Korea, the Netherlands, Australia and Chinese Taipei. Its unique design and beautiful lighting system make it a sight to be seen. While it was built in 2006, the venue has already been the home of multiple qualifying rounds as well as the 2011 MLB All-Star Series. Intercontinental is the home to the Sinon Bulls of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
Hiram Bithorn Stadium - San Juan, Puerto Rico
Pool C, which includes Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Spain, will play opening round games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. It was built in 1962 and is the largest baseball stadium in Puerto Rico. The venue gets its name from former Puerto Rican-born MLB player Hiram Bithorn, who played for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox from 1942-47. It's one of the only stadiums outside the United States and Canada to host a regular season MLB game.
Chase Field - Phoenix, Arizona
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick - Phoenix, Arizona
These stadiums will host Pool D - made up of the USA, Mexico, Italy and Canada - for the opening round. Chase Field also co-hosted the first round of the 2006 WBC. It also was the home of the 2001 World Series and 2011 MLB All-Star Game. Salt River Fields started holding games only two years ago, and it was recently voted "Ballpark of the Year" by Phoenix New Times. It's set the all-time record for spring training attendance in 2011 and '12.
Tokyo Dome - Tokyo, Japan
Second-round play will begin in the Tokyo Dome, which was Japan's first domed stadium. Opened in 1988, the Tokyo Dome is known as the "Big Egg" and is the home of the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball Central League. The Dome has hosted play in each of the last WBCs and was used by MLB to open its season in 2000, '04 and '08.
Marlins Park - Miami, Florida
Home of the Miami Marlins, Marlins Park was just completed in 2012. It offers a retractable roof which is located less than two miles from downtown Miami. Marlins Park was built on the site of the historic Orange Bowl and offers seats that are some of the closest ever to the playing field.
AT&T Park - San Francisco, California
AT&T Park is one of the premier ballparks MLB has to offer. Home of the San Francisco Giants, AT&T Park is home of the renowned McCovey Cove. It was designed after classic parks, including Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Camden Yards. It's hosted a pair of World Series as well as the 2007 MLB All-Star Game.
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