View source for 2009 World Baseball Classic

{{Use American English|date=December 2023}}
{{Short description|International baseball competition in 2009}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox international baseball tournament
| image = 2009_World_Baseball_Classic_logo.gif
| size = 200px
| country = {{CAN}}
| country2 = {{JAP}}
| country3 = {{MEX}}
| country4 = {{PUR}}
| country5 = {{USA}}
| dates = March 5–23, 2009
| num_teams = 16
| medal_type = world baseball classic
| champion = Japan
| num_championships = 2
| second = South Korea
| second_flagvar=1997
| third = Venezuela
| fourth = United States

| fourth_flagvar=1960
| games = 39
| attendance = 801408
| mvp = {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]]
| prevseason = [[2006 World Baseball Classic|2006]]
| nextseason = [[2013 World Baseball Classic|2013]]
}}
[[File:2009 wbc at rogers centre.jpg|right|280px|thumb|[[Rogers Centre#Rogers Centre video board|Jumbotron]] ad for the 2009 WBC at [[Rogers Centre]]]]
The '''2009 [[World Baseball Classic]]''' ('''WBC''') was an [[International Baseball Federation|international baseball]] competition. It began on March 5 and finished March 23.

Unlike in [[2006 World Baseball Classic|2006]], when the [[Round-robin tournament|round-robin]] format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by [[Goal difference|run-difference]] tiebreakers, the first two rounds of the 2009 edition were [[double-elimination|modified double-elimination]] format. The modification was that the final game of each bracket was winner-take-all, even if won by the team emerging from the loser's bracket, although that game only affected seeding, as two teams always advanced from each bracket.

The biggest surprise in the first round was the [[Netherlands national baseball team|Netherlands]], which twice defeated the [[Dominican Republic national baseball team|Dominican Republic]] in Pool D to advance.  The second round saw the two Pool A teams ([[South Korea national baseball team|South Korea]] and [[Japan national baseball team|Japan]]) defeat the two Pool B teams ([[Cuba national baseball team|Cuba]] and [[Mexico national baseball team|Mexico]]) while the two Pool C teams ([[Venezuela national baseball team|Venezuela]] and the [[United States national baseball team|United States]]) defeated the two Pool D teams ([[Puerto Rico national baseball team|Puerto Rico]] and the Netherlands). South Korea and Japan then advanced to the final game, playing each other for the fifth time in the tournament (split 2–2 up to that time), and Japan emerged victorious for the second straight Classic, winning the final game 5–3 in 10 innings.

For the second straight Classic, [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]] was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

==Format==
As was the case for the [[2006 World Baseball Classic|2006 tournament]], the sixteen teams were split into four pools of four teams each.<ref name="wbc09_bracket">{{cite web | title = WBC 2009 Brackets | publisher = [[Major League Baseball]] | date = July 31, 2008 | url = http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/wbc_09/brackets.jsp | access-date = September 27, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081006135214/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/wbc_09/brackets.jsp| archive-date= October 6, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> Whereas previously the teams played in [[round-robin tournament|round-robin]] competition in the first two rounds, this time they took part in a [[double-elimination tournament|double-elimination]] format, similar to the U.S. [[College World Series]] sponsored by the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]. Under the new format, teams were only guaranteed to play two games. This change was made to eliminate the complicated [[tiebreaker|tiebreaking]] procedures,<ref name="wbc09_format">{{cite web | title = Classic changes advancement rules | publisher = [[Major League Baseball]]| date = March 23, 2008 | url = http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080323&content_id=2453941&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb | access-date = September 27, 2008}}</ref> which were required for one of the pools in each of the first two rounds in 2006.

After the first round, the tournament was held in the U.S. The top two teams from each of the four pools&mdash;seeded from the final game in their respective pools&mdash;went to the second round, with the teams from Pools A and B meeting at [[Petco Park]] in [[San Diego]] for Pool 1, and the teams in Pools C and D playing at [[Dolphin Stadium]] in [[Miami Gardens, Florida|Miami Gardens]] for Pool 2.<ref name="wbc09_finalsvenues">{{cite web | title = Dodger Stadium to host Classic finals | publisher = [[Major League Baseball]] | date = July 31, 2008 | url = http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080731&content_id=3229562&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb | access-date = September 27, 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080909170402/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080731&content_id=3229562&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb| archive-date= September 9, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> Again, both pools made use of double-elimination to determine the teams qualifying for the semifinals. In another change from 2006, the four qualifying teams crossed over for the semifinals, with the winner of each pool playing against the runner-up from the other pool.<ref name="wbc09_format"/> The championship round process was otherwise unchanged, with each semifinal being a single elimination match, the victors meeting in the final to determine the tournament champion. All three championship round games were held at [[Dodger Stadium]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="wbc09_finalsvenues"/>

In the final, the team with the higher winning percentage of games in the tournament were to be the home team. If the teams competing in the final had identical winning percentages in the tournament, then World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) would conduct a coin flip or draw to determine the home team.

==Rosters==
{{Main|2009 World Baseball Classic rosters}}

Each participating national federation had a deadline of January 19, 2009, to submit a 45-man provisional roster. Final rosters of 28 players, which was required to include a minimum of 13 pitchers and two catchers, were submitted on February 24. If a player on the submitted roster was unable to play, usually due to injury, he could be substituted at any time before the start of the tournament. While rosters could not be changed during a round of competition, a team that advanced to a later round could change its roster for the later round.

==Venues==
Seven stadiums were used during the tournament:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width=900
|-
!width=25%|Pool A
!width=25%|Pool B
!width=25%|Pool C
!width=25%|Pool D
|-
|{{flagicon|JPN}} '''Tokyo, Japan'''
|{{flagicon|MEX}} '''[[Mexico City]], [[Mexico]]'''
|{{flagicon|CAN}} '''[[Toronto]], Canada'''
|{{flagicon|PUR}} '''[[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]'''
|-
|[[Tokyo Dome]]
|[[Foro Sol]]
|[[Rogers Centre]]
|[[Hiram Bithorn Stadium]]
|-
|Capacity: '''42,000'''
|Capacity: '''26,000'''
|Capacity: '''49,539'''
|Capacity: '''18,264'''
|-
|[[File:TokyoDome GiantsFighters.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Foro Sol baseball 2007.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Tigersbluejaysapril2008.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Hiram Bithorn Stadium.jpg|200px]]
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width=900
|-
!width=33%|Pool 1
!width=33%|Pool 2
!width=33%|Championship
|-
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''[[San Diego]], United States'''
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''[[Miami Gardens, Florida|Miami Gardens]], United States'''
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''[[Los Angeles]], United States'''
|-
|[[Petco Park]]
|[[Dolphin Stadium]]
|[[Dodger Stadium]]
|-
|Capacity: '''42,685'''
|Capacity: '''38,560'''
|Capacity: '''56,000'''
|-
|[[File:Petco Park Interior.JPG|200px]]
|[[File:Marlins 2008 001.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Dodger-Stadium-Panorama-052707.jpg|200px]]
|}

==Pools composition==
The 16 teams that participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic were all invited back for the 2009 tournament. The World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) changed the members of each pool as compared with the 2006 Classic, however, except for Pool A. There was no official qualifying competition.

<small>Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate positions in the [[International Baseball Federation|IBAF]] [[WBSC World Rankings|World Rankings]] at the time of the tournament.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inaugural IBAF World Ranking Released |url=https://websites.mygameday.app/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-6035-0-0-0&sID=83786&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=7837069 |publisher=MyGameday |access-date=August 20, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=14 European Teams listed in IBAF World Ranking |url=https://www.mister-baseball.com/14-european-teams-listed-ibaf-world-ranking/ |publisher=Mister Baseball |access-date=August 20, 2022}}</ref></small>

{| class="wikitable" width=960
|-
!width=25%|Pool A
!width=25%|Pool B
!width=25%|Pool C
!width=25%|Pool D
|-
|{{bb|CHN}} (14)
|{{bb|AUS}} (10)
|{{bb|CAN}} (7)
|{{bb|DOM}} (17)
|-
|{{bb|TPE}} (5)
|{{bb|CUB}} (1)
|{{bb|ITA}} (13)
|{{bb|NED}} (6)
|-
|{{bb|JPN}} (4)
|{{bb|MEX}} (8)
|{{bb|USA}} (2)
|{{bb|PAN}} (9)
|-
|{{bb|KOR|1997}} (3)
|{{bb|RSA}} (20)
|{{bb|VEN}} (15)
|{{bb|PUR}} (11)
|}

==First round==

===Pool A===
{{Main|2009 World Baseball Classic Pool A}}
{{:2009 World Baseball Classic Pool A|transcludesection=Bracket}}

{{bb res start}}
{{bb res|Mar 5, 2009|18:30|{{bb-rt|CHN}}|0–4|'''{{bb|JPN}}'''||[[Tokyo Dome]]|2:55|43,428|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_05_chnint_jpnint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 6, 2009|18:30|{{bb-rt|TPE}}|0–9|'''{{bb|KOR|1997}}'''||[[Tokyo Dome]]|2:48|12,704|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_06_tpeint_korint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 7, 2009|12:30|{{bb-rt|TPE}}|1–4|'''{{bb|CHN}}'''||[[Tokyo Dome]]|2:51|12,890|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_07_tpeint_chnint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 7, 2009|19:00|'''{{bb-rt|JPN}}'''|14–2|{{bb|KOR|1997}}|7|[[Tokyo Dome]]|2:48|45,640|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_07_jpnint_korint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 8, 2009|18:30|{{bb-rt|CHN}}|0–14|'''{{bb|KOR|1997}}'''|7|[[Tokyo Dome]]|2:13|12,571|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_08_chnint_korint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 9, 2009|18:30|'''{{bb-rt|KOR|1997}}'''|1–0|{{bb|JPN}}||[[Tokyo Dome]]|3:02|42,879|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_09_korint_jpnint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
|}

===Pool B===
{{Main|2009 World Baseball Classic Pool B}}
{{:2009 World Baseball Classic Pool B|transcludesection=Bracket}}

{{bb res start}}
{{bb res|Mar 8, 2009|12:00|{{bb-rt|RSA}}|1–8|'''{{bb|CUB}}'''||[[Foro Sol]]|2:37|11,270|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_08_rsaint_cubint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 8, 2009|19:00|'''{{bb-rt|AUS}}'''|17–7|{{bb|MEX}}|8|[[Foro Sol]]|3:43|20,821|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_08_ausint_mexint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 9, 2009|20:00|'''{{bb-rt|MEX}}'''|14–3|{{bb|RSA}}||[[Foro Sol]]|3:33|10,311|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_09_mexint_rsaint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 10, 2009|20:00|'''{{bb-rt|CUB}}'''|5–4|{{bb|AUS}}||[[Foro Sol]]|3:29|13,396|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_10_cubint_ausint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 11, 2009|20:00|'''{{bb-rt|MEX}}'''|16–1|{{bb|AUS}}|6|[[Foro Sol]]|2:31|16,718|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_11_mexint_ausint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 12, 2009|19:00|{{bb-rt|MEX}}|4–16|'''{{bb|CUB}}'''|7|[[Foro Sol]]|3:33|20,149|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2009/stats/boxscore.jsp?gid=2009_03_12_mexint_cubint_1 Boxscore]}}
|}

===Pool C===
{{Main|2009 World Baseball Classic Pool C}}
{{:2009 World Baseball Classic Pool C|transcludesection=Bracket}}

{{bb res start}}
{{bb res|Mar 7, 2009|14:00|{{bb-rt|CAN}}|5–6|'''{{bb|USA}}'''||[[Rogers Centre]]|2:55|42,314|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_07_canint_usaint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 7, 2009|20:00|{{bb-rt|ITA}}|0–7|'''{{bb|VEN}}'''||[[Rogers Centre]]|3:00|13,272|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_07_itaint_venint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 8, 2009|20:00|'''{{bb-rt|USA}}'''|15–6|{{bb|VEN}}||[[Rogers Centre]]|3:39|13,094|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_08_usaint_venint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 9, 2009|18:30|'''{{bb-rt|ITA}}'''|6–2|{{bb|CAN}}||[[Rogers Centre]]|3:36|12,411|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_09_itaint_canint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 10, 2009|17:00|{{bb-rt|ITA}}|1–10|'''{{bb|VEN}}'''||[[Rogers Centre]]|3:04|10,450|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_10_itaint_venint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 11, 2009|18:30|'''{{bb-rt|VEN}}'''|5–3|{{bb|USA}}||[[Rogers Centre]]|3:08|12,358|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_11_venint_usaint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
|}

===Pool D===
{{Main|2009 World Baseball Classic Pool D}}
{{:2009 World Baseball Classic Pool D|transcludesection=Bracket}}

{{bb res start}}
{{bb res|Mar 7, 2009|12:00|'''{{bb-rt|NED}}'''|3–2|{{bb|DOM}}||[[Hiram Bithorn Stadium]]|3:01|9,335|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_07_nedint_domint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 7, 2009|18:00|{{bb-rt|PAN}}|0–7|'''{{bb|PUR}}'''||[[Hiram Bithorn Stadium]]|2:57|17,348|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_07_panint_purint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 8, 2009|16:30|{{bb-rt|PAN}}|0–9|'''{{bb|DOM}}'''||[[Hiram Bithorn Stadium]]|2:46|9,221|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_08_panint_domint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 9, 2009|18:30|{{bb-rt|NED}}|1–3|'''{{bb|PUR}}'''||[[Hiram Bithorn Stadium]]|3:11|19,479|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_09_nedint_purint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 10, 2009|18:30|{{bb-rt|DOM}}|1–2|'''{{bb|NED}}'''|11|[[Hiram Bithorn Stadium]]|3:38|11,814|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_10_domint_nedint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 11, 2009|17:30|{{bb-rt|NED}}|0–5|'''{{bb|PUR}}'''||[[Hiram Bithorn Stadium]]|2:55|19,501|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_11_nedint_purint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
|}

==Second round==

===Pool 1===
{{Main|2009 World Baseball Classic Pool 1}}
{{:2009 World Baseball Classic Pool 1|transcludesection=Bracket}}

{{bb res start}}
{{bb res|Mar 15, 2009|13:00|'''{{bb-rt|JPN}}'''|6–0|{{bb|CUB}}||[[Petco Park]]|3:33|20,179|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_15_jpnint_cubint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 15, 2009|20:00|{{bb-rt|MEX}}|2–8|'''{{bb|KOR|1997}}'''||[[Petco Park]]|3:43|22,337|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_15_mexint_korint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 16, 2009|20:00|'''{{bb-rt|CUB}}'''|7–4|{{bb|MEX}}||[[Petco Park]]|3:09|9,329|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_16_cubint_mexint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 17, 2009|20:00|{{bb-rt|JPN}}|1–4|'''{{bb|KOR|1997}}'''||[[Petco Park]]|3:21|15,332|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_17_jpnint_korint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 18, 2009|20:00|'''{{bb-rt|JPN}}'''|5–0|{{bb|CUB}}||[[Petco Park]]|3:26|9,774|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_18_jpnint_cubint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 19, 2009|18:00|'''{{bb-rt|JPN}}'''|6–2|{{bb|KOR|1997}}||[[Petco Park]]|3:42|14,832|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_19_jpnint_korint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
|}

===Pool 2===
{{Main|2009 World Baseball Classic Pool 2}}
{{:2009 World Baseball Classic Pool 2|transcludesection=Bracket}}

{{bb res start}}
{{bb res|Mar 14, 2009|13:00|{{bb-rt|NED}}|1–3|'''{{bb|VEN}}'''||[[Dolphin Stadium]]|2:22|17,345|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_14_nedint_venint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 14, 2009|20:00|{{bb-rt|USA}}|1–11|'''{{bb|PUR}}'''|7|[[Dolphin Stadium]]|2:15|30,595|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_14_usaint_purint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 15, 2009|19:30|{{bb-rt|NED}}|3–9|'''{{bb|USA}}'''||[[Dolphin Stadium]]|3:14|11,059|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_15_nedint_usaint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 16, 2009|20:00|'''{{bb-rt|VEN}}'''|2–0|{{bb|PUR}}||[[Dolphin Stadium]]|3:23|25,599|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_16_venint_purint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 17, 2009|19:00|{{bb-rt|PUR}}|5–6|'''{{bb|USA}}'''||[[Dolphin Stadium]]|3:54|13,224|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_17_purint_usaint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 18, 2009|19:00|{{bb-rt|USA}}|6–10|'''{{bb|VEN}}'''||[[Dolphin Stadium]]|3:32|16,575|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_18_usaint_venint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
|}

==Championship round==
{{Main|2009 World Baseball Classic championship}}
{{:2009 World Baseball Classic championship|transcludesection=Bracket}}

===Semifinals===
{{bb res start}}
{{bb res|Mar 21, 2009|18:00|'''{{bb-rt|KOR|1997}}'''|10–2|{{bb|VEN}}||[[Dodger Stadium]]|3:22|43,378|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_21_korint_venint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
{{bb res|Mar 22, 2009|17:00|{{bb-rt|US|1960}}|4–9|'''{{bb|JPN}}'''||[[Dodger Stadium]]|3:15|43,630|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_22_usaint_jpnint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
|}

===Final===
{{bb res start}}
{{bb res|Mar 23, 2009|18:00|'''{{bb-rt|JPN}}'''|5–3|{{bb|KOR|1997}}|10|[[Dodger Stadium]]|4:00|54,846|10=[http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2013/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_23_jpnint_korint_1&mode=box Boxscore]}}
|}

==Final standings==
Organizer WBCI has no interest in the final standings and did not compute. So, it was calculated by [[International Baseball Federation|IBAF]] for the [[WBSC World Rankings|IBAF Men's Baseball World Rankings]].

In the final standings, ties were to be broken in the following order of priority:

# The team allowing the fewest runs per nine innings (RA/9) in all games;
# The team allowing the fewest earned runs per nine innings (ERA) in all games;
# The team with the highest batting average (AVG) in all games;

{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|-
!width=25|Rk
!width=170|Team
!width=25|W
!width=25|L
!width=150|Tiebreaker
|-
|1
|align=left|{{bb|JPN}}
|7||2||–
|-
!colspan="6"|Lost in Final
|-
|2
|align=left|{{bb|KOR|1997}}
|6||3||–
|-
!colspan="6"|Lost in Semifinals
|-
|3
|align=left|{{bb|VEN}}
|6||2||–
|-
|4
|align=left|{{bb|USA|1960}}
|4||4||–
|-
!colspan="6"|Eliminated in Second Round
|-
|5
|align=left|{{bb|PUR}}
|4||2||1.75 RA/9
|-
|6
|align=left|{{bb|CUB}}
|4||2||4.15 RA/9
|-
|7
|align=left|{{bb|NED}}
|2||4||3.98 RA/9
|-
|8
|align=left|{{bb|MEX}}
|2||4||10.10 RA/9
|-
!colspan="6"|Eliminated in First Round
|-
|9
|align=left|{{bb|DOM}}
|1||2||1.57 RA/9
|-
|10
|align=left|{{bb|ITA}}
|1||2||6.84 RA/9
|-
|11
|align=left|{{bb|CHN}}
|1||2||7.43 RA/9
|-
|12
|align=left|{{bb|AUS}}
|1||2||10.96 RA/9
|-
|13
|align=left|{{bb|CAN}}
|0||2||6.35 RA/9
|-
|14
|align=left|{{bb|TPE}}
|0||2||7.31 RA/9
|-
|15
|align=left|{{bb|PAN}}
|0||2||9.00 RA/9
|-
|16
|align=left|{{bb|RSA|1994}}
|0||2||11.65 RA/9
|}
{{col-2}}
{{winners|bb|2009 World Baseball Classic champions|JPN|Second}}
{{col-end}}

==Attendance==
'''801,408 (avg. 20,549; pct. 54.5%)'''

===First round===
'''453,374 (avg. 18,891; pct. 55.6%)'''
*Pool A – 170,112 (avg. 28,352; pct. 67.5%)
*Pool B – 92,665 (avg. 15,444; pct. 59.4%)
*Pool C – 103,899 (avg. 17,317; pct. 35.0%)
*Pool D – 86,698 (avg. 14,450; pct. 79.1%)

===Second round===
'''206,180 (avg. 17,182; pct. 42.3%)'''
*Pool 1 – 91,783 (avg. 15,297; pct. 35.8%)
*Pool 2 – 114,397 (avg. 19,066; pct. 49.4%)

===Championship round===
'''141,854 (avg. 47,285; pct. 84.4%)'''
*Semifinals – 87,008 (avg. 43,504; pct. 77.7%)
*Final – 54,846 (avg. 54,846; pct. 97.9%)

==2009 All-World Baseball Classic team==
{{multiple image
|align=right
|total_width=600
|image1=Iván Rodríguez on March 11, 2007 (1).jpg
|image2=José López on June 3, 2010 (1).jpg
|image3=Jimmy Rollins on August 1, 2012 (1).jpg
|image4=Norichika Aoki on April 3, 2010 (1).jpg
|image5=Yoenis Céspedes on April 15, 2012 (1).jpg
|image6=Hisashi Iwakuma on August 30, 2011 (1).jpg
|footer=Players named to the All-WBC Team (from left to right); <br />Catcher – [[Iván Rodríguez]] of [[Puerto Rico national baseball team|Puerto Rico]]<br />Second baseman – [[José López (infielder)|José López]] of [[Venezuela national baseball team|Venezuela]]<br />Shortstop – [[Jimmy Rollins]] of the [[United States national baseball team|United States]]<br />Outfielder – [[Nori Aoki|Norichika Aoki]] of [[Japan national baseball team|Japan]]<br />Outfielder – [[Yoenis Céspedes]] of [[Cuba national baseball team|Cuba]]<br />Pitcher – [[Hisashi Iwakuma]] of [[Japan national baseball team|Japan]]
}}
:''Note: The tournament Most Valuable Player was [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]].''<ref>See: {{section link|2009 World Baseball Classic – Championship|Final – Japan 5, South Korea 3}}.</ref>
{| class=wikitable
|-
!Position!!Player
|-
!C
|{{flagicon|PUR}} [[Iván Rodríguez]]
|-
!1B
|{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} [[Kim Tae-kyun (baseball, born 1982)|Tae-kyun Kim]]
|-
!2B
|{{flagicon|VEN}} [[José López (infielder)|José López]]
|-
!3B
|{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} [[Lee Bum-ho|Bum-ho Lee]]
|-
!SS
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jimmy Rollins]]
|-
!rowspan=3|OF
|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Nori Aoki|Norichika Aoki]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CUB}} [[Frederich Cepeda]]
|-
|{{flagicon|CUB}} [[Yoenis Céspedes]]
|-
!DH
|{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} [[Hyun-soo Kim]]
|-
!rowspan=3|P
|{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} [[Bong Jung-keun|Jung-keun Bong]]
|-
|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Hisashi Iwakuma]]
|-
|{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]]
|}

==Statistics leaders==
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}

===Batting===
{|class=wikitable
|-
!Statistic !! Name !! Total/Avg
|-
|[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]* || {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Brett Roneberg]] ||align=center| .714
|-
|[[Hit (baseball)|Hit]]s || {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Norichika Aoki]]<br>{{flagicon|CUB}} [[Frederich Cepeda]]<br>{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Ichiro Suzuki]] ||align=center| 12
|-
|[[Run (baseball)|Run]]s || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Adam Dunn]]<br>{{flagicon|KOR|1997}} [[Kim Tae-kyun (baseball, born 1982)|Tae-kyun Kim]]<br>{{flagicon|USA}} [[Kevin Youkilis]] ||align=center| 9
|-
|[[Home run]]s || 7 Players ||align=center| 3
|-
|[[Runs batted in|RBI]] || {{flagicon|KOR|1997}} [[Kim Tae-kyun (baseball, born 1982)|Tae-kyun Kim]] ||align=center| 11
|-
|[[Walk (baseball)|Walk]]s || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Adam Dunn]] ||align=center| 9
|-
|[[Strikeout]]s || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Adam Dunn]]<br>{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Michihiro Ogasawara]] ||align=center| 10
|-
|[[Stolen base]]s || {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Yasuyuki Kataoka]]<br>{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jimmy Rollins]] ||align=center| 4
|-
|[[On-base percentage]]* || {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Jason Bay]] ||align=center| .778
|-
|[[Slugging percentage]]* || {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Brett Roneberg]] ||align=center| 1.286
|-
|[[On-base plus slugging|OPS]]* || {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Brett Roneberg]] ||align=center| 2.036
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Minimum 2.7 plate appearances per game

{{col-2}}

===Pitching===
{|class=wikitable
|-
!Statistic !! Name !! Total/Avg
|-
|[[Win (baseball)|Win]]s || {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]] ||align=center| 3
|-
|[[Loss (baseball)|Loss]]es || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeremy Guthrie]] ||align=center| 2
|-
|[[Save (baseball)|Save]]s || {{flagicon|VEN}} [[Francisco Rodríguez (Venezuelan pitcher)|Francisco Rodríguez]] ||align=center| 3
|-
|[[Innings pitched]] || {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Hisashi Iwakuma]] ||align=center| 20.0
|-
|[[Hit (baseball)|Hits allowed]] || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Roy Oswalt]] ||align=center| 17
|-
|[[Run (baseball)|Runs allowed]] || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeremy Guthrie]] ||align=center| 10
|-
|[[Earned run|Earned runs allowed]] || {{flagicon|KOR|1997}} [[Kim Kwang-hyun|Kwang-hyun Kim]] ||align=center| 8
|-
|[[Earned run average|ERA]]* || {{flagicon|VEN}} [[Enrique González (baseball)|Enrique González]] ||align=center| 0.00**
|-
|[[Walk (baseball)|Walk]]s || 5 Players ||align=center| 6
|-
|[[Strikeout]]s || {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Yu Darvish]] ||align=center| 20
|-
|[[Walks plus hits per inning pitched|WHIP]]* || {{flagicon|DOM}} [[Rafael Pérez (baseball)|Rafael Pérez]] ||align=center| 0.00
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Minimum 0.8 innings pitched per game<br>
<nowiki>**</nowiki> González is tied with 17 others with a 0.00 ERA but he pitched the most innings with 9.2

{{col-end}}

==Additional rules==
As was the case for the [[2006 World Baseball Classic#Additional rules|2006 Classic]], several rules were announced for the 2009 tournament that modified the existing rules for international baseball set out by the [[International Baseball Federation|IBAF]].<ref name="wbc09_rules_pr">{{cite press release|publisher=Major League Baseball |date=January 29, 2009 |title=Several rules changes adopted for 2009 World Baseball Classic |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20090129&content_id=3783722&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105110142/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20090129&content_id=3783722&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="wbc09_rules_wbc">{{cite web |url=http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090129&content_id=3784012&vkey=wbc&team= |title=Rules changes approved for Classic |access-date=January 31, 2009 |last=Miller |first=Doug |author2=MLB.com |date=January 30, 2009 |publisher=Major League Baseball |work=WorldBaseballClassic.com |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120216200859/http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090129&content_id=3784012&vkey=wbc&team= |archive-date=February 16, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Once again there were limits on the number of pitches thrown in a game, though the limits themselves were changed from the previous tournament:

*70 pitches in First Round (up from 65 in 2006)
*85 pitches in Second Round (up from 80 in 2006)
*100 pitches in Championship Round (up from 95 in 2006)

If a pitcher reached his limit during an at bat, he was allowed to finish pitching to the batter, but was removed from the game at the end of the at bat.

A 30–pitch outing needed to be followed by one day off, and a 50–pitch outing by four days off. No one would be allowed to pitch on three consecutive days. As the championship round was played over three consecutive days, a so-called "pitcher rest equalization" rule was added: a pitcher making 30 or more pitches in a semifinal was ineligible to pitch in the final. This negated an advantage the winners of the first semifinal would have had in the final.

A [[mercy rule]] came into effect when one team led by either fifteen runs after five innings, or ten runs after seven innings in the first two rounds.

[[Instant replay]] was also available to umpires during the tournament. As was introduced in [[Major League Baseball]] during the [[2008 Major League Baseball season#Instant Replay|2008 season]], replays were only used to adjudicate on home run decisions, to determine whether the ball was fair or foul, over the fence or not, and the impact of fan interference.

An alternative version of the IBAF's [[Extra innings#Baseball|extra inning rule]] was also introduced. If after 12 innings the score was still tied, each half inning thereafter would have started with runners on second and first base. The runners would have been the eighth and ninth hitters due in that inning respectively. For example, if the number five hitter was due to lead off the inning, the number three hitter would have been on second base, and the number four hitter on first base. However, this rule was never actually employed in this year's Classic, as the two extra-inning games in the tournament ended prior to a 13th inning.

All base coaches were required to wear protective helmets, in the aftermath of the [[Mike Coolbaugh#Death|death of Mike Coolbaugh]] and participating teams were required to announce the next day's starting pitcher. Additionally, a modified [[mercy rule|early termination rule]] was in effect for the first two rounds; had a team been ahead by 15 or more runs after five innings or ten or more runs after seven or eight innings, the game ended at that point.

==Prize money==
'''USD 14,000,000'''

===By final standings===
*Champions – USD 2,700,000
*Runners-up – USD 1,700,000
*Semifinalists – USD 1,200,000 (x 2 teams)
*Eliminated in Second Round – USD 700,000 (x 4 teams)
*Eliminated in First Round – USD 300,000 (x 8 teams)

===Bonus for pool winners===
*First Round – USD 300,000 (x 4 teams)
*Second Round – USD 400,000 (x 2 teams)

==Media coverage==
In the United States, [[ESPN]] and the [[MLB Network]] shared the rights, with ESPN broadcasting 23 of the games, including the Finals, while MLB Network showed the remaining 16.<ref name="tv_1">{{cite news |last=Ibarra |first=Sergio |date=October 7, 2008 |title=ESPN, MLB Net Map Plans for World Baseball Classic |periodical=[[TelevisionWeek]] |url=http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/10/espn_mlb_net_map_plans_for_wor.php |access-date=March 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323171424/http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/10/espn_mlb_net_map_plans_for_wor.php |archive-date=March 23, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Spanish language telecasts in the U.S. were handled by [[ESPN Deportes]] telecasting all games. Internationally, it was broadcast to 167 countries by [[ESPN International]].

In Canada, [[Rogers Sportsnet]] aired all 39 games.<ref>{{cite news |title=Notebook: Happy fans would pay Junior well |url=https://www.thestar.com/printArticle/592625 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=February 25, 2009 |access-date=March 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014101302/http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/592625 |archive-date=October 14, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the Dominican Republic, CDN (Cadena de Noticias) and CDN2 broadcast all games live (except for games played in Tokyo, shown on [[broadcast delay|tape delay]]){{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}

In Japan, [[J Sports Broadcasting|J Sports]] broadcast all 39 games. [[TV Asahi]] (Round 1) and [[Tokyo Broadcasting System|TBS]] (Round 2 and Finals) broadcast all games featuring Japan. For all games featuring Japan, they gained viewing ratings of at least 20%. The final game gained ratings in the range 30-45%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=200903/2009032500286 |title=WBC決勝戦視聴率、36.4％【WBC】 |language=ja |publisher=[[Jiji Press]] |date=March 25, 2009 |access-date=March 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090908125757/http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=200903/2009032500286 |archive-date=September 8, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Video games==
World Baseball Classic 2009 has licensed three [[video games]], all only released in Japan: [[Pro Yakyuu Spirits 6]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.konami.jp/prospi/6/wbc/index.html |title=Pro Yakyuu Spirits 6 |access-date=March 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324201300/http://www.konami.jp/prospi/6/wbc/index.html |archive-date=March 24, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Baseball Heroes 2009]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.konami.jp/am/bbh2009 |title=Baseball Heroes 2009 |access-date=March 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205080513/http://www.konami.jp/am/bbh2009 |archive-date=February 5, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
and [[Jikkyou Pawafuru Major League 2009]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.konami.jp/topics/2009/0218/index-e.html |title=Jikkyou Pawafuru Major League 2009 |access-date=March 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415221218/http://www.konami.jp/topics/2009/0218/index-e.html |archive-date=April 15, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic Official website]

{{2009 World Baseball Classic}}
{{2009 World Baseball Classic finalists}}
{{2009 World Baseball Classic Stadiums}}
{{World Baseball Classic}}

[[Category:2009 World Baseball Classic| ]]
[[Category:2009 in baseball|World Baseball Classic]]
[[Category:World Baseball Classic]]
[[Category:March 2009 in sports]]