World Baseball Classic 2013 Schedule: Complete Times and Matchups for Wednesday

The 2013 World Baseball Classic is staring to find its rhythm. We are nearly done with Pool A and B action, with Pool C and D getting ready to start on Thursday in Puerto Rico and Phoenix. 

But before we can get there, we still have the matter of closing things out in Pool A on Wednesday. Even though the two teams coming out of the group—Japan and Cuba—were decided on Monday, pride is still on the line for those two teams as they meet in the final game. 

In many ways, this is a fitting way to end things for Pool A. Japan and Cuba were the top two teams in the group coming into the World Baseball Classic. Their performance in each of their first two games did nothing to change that opinion. 

Here is a look at the one and only game on the World Baseball Classic schedule for Wednesday, March 6. 

Pool A: Japan (2-0) vs. Cuba (2-0)

Date: Wednesday, March 6

Start time: 5:00 a.m. ET

Watch: MLB Network

How Japan got here

Japan played the first game in Pool A against Brazil. It was a struggle for the Japanese offense early, but a three-run outburst in the eighth carried the team to a 5-3 victory. The pitching was terrific late, holding Brazil to just one run and three hits over the final five innings. 

Going up against China, Japan used another big inning from the offense and solid pitching to secure a spot in the second round of the World Baseball Classic. The team went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position, the same as it did against Brazil. 

Japanese pitchers struck out 15 Chinese hitters and allowed just three hits en route to a 5-2 victory. 

How Cuba got here

Cuba also started the World Baseball Classic off with a victory over Brazil, though there wasn't as much drama late in this game as there was in Brazil's loss against Japan. 

After starting the scoring with two runs in the fifth inning, Cuba pushed three runs across in the sixth inning to take a 5-0 lead. Brazil did come back with two runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth, but that would be all Cuba's pitching would give up. 

It was a much different story for Cuba in its second game, against China. Things started slowly with one run in the first and one in the third to give the team a 2-0 lead. A four-run rally in the fourth inning and a six-run fifth, led by a grand slam from Jose Abreu, gave Cuba a 12-0 lead.  

The game was called after seven innings due to the mercy rule, as Cuba kept its 12-0 advantage until the end of the game. It is the first time the mercy rule has had to be used in the tournament. 

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