Marlins Park will host the first round of the World Baseball Classic beginning on March 9, 2017.
The announcement was made by Major League Baseball on Thursday along with the locations for other WBC games. This will mark the second time that the home of the Miami Marlins is used for the international tournament.
In 2013, Marlins Park was the host for the teams from the United States, Puerto Rico, Italy and the Dominican Republic. This time around, Puerto Rico and Italy have been replaced by Canada and Colombia.
The games at Marlins Park will take place from March 9-13. It is likely that the field will contain several current Marlins players. Fernando Rodney was a member of the 2013 squad from the Dominican Republic. Giancarlo Stanton played for Team USA and will likely do so again. There is also a connection to the past with former Marlins manager Jim Leyland set to be the skipper of Team USA.
The Dominican Republic won the 2013 tournament and could enter this one as the favorites once again. In that year, the championship game was plated at AT&T Park in San Francisco. This time around, the title round will be held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Fans looking to purchase tickets may visit WorldBaseballClassic.com.
