World Baseball Classic 2017 Final: Start Time, TV Schedule and Live Stream Info

After over two weeks of competition, the 2017 World Baseball Classic will come to a close Wednesday night with either the United States or Puerto Rico becoming the new champion.

This is the fourth tournament of its kind, with each competition holding its final rounds on U.S. ground. However, the host country has failed to reach the final game in any year until now. The squad will now have a lot of support from its home fans as it tries to become the new world champions.

Of course, Puerto Rico will not make things easy. The squad is 7-0 in the tournament, including a win over Team USA less than a week ago.

Still, all that matters is getting one more victory in a winner-take-all championship in Los Angeles.

World Baseball Classic Final

When: Wednesday, March 22

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: MLB Network, ESPN2

Live Stream: MLB.tv, WatchESPN

Preview

Seth Lugo will get the ball for Puerto Rico against Marcus Stroman of the United States, which is the same matchup as when these teams battled last Friday.

Lugo made some mistakes, but he got the win after allowing just three earned runs in 5.2 innings. Although he isn't quite a household name, the New York Mets pitcher was a savior for the team down the stretch last season while the rest of the rotation dealt with injuries.

Stroman is more established in the majors, although he struggled against this lineup last time, allowing four runs and eight hits in 4.2 innings. 

Both squads will likely hope for better performances from their starters in this one, although fans should expect more high-powered offense considering the star power in the lineups.

Veterans Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina have been key to Puerto Rico's success, but the young kids have been the most productive, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Carlos Correa has especially been impressive with three home runs and a .400 batting average in seven games.

The American lineup is also pretty dangerous, with Eric Hosmer and Brandon Crawford having great tournaments, while Adam Jones, Buster Posey, Nolan Arenado, Giancarlo Stanton, Andrew McCutchen, Christian Yelich and others are all capable of big hits when needed.

Perhaps the biggest difference from past teams, however, is the actual pride in winning this tournament.

The quotes from Jones and Luke Gregerson after Tuesday's win showed just how important these games are to the players, via MLB Network:

A big story could be the availability of the United States' bullpen, which saw Gregerson, Mark Melancon, Andrew Miller and Pat Neshek all pitch in the semifinals one day earlier. There is still depth available beyond these players, but the team will hope it can get at least some innings from these key contributors.

In any case, the matchup will likely come down to which side can get the big hits in the most important moments.