Great Britain defeats Spain to qualify for World Baseball Classic

The field for the 2023 World Baseball Classic is nearly filled out. On Tuesday, Great Britain punched its ticket to the tournament for the first time ever with a 10-9 win over Spain.

Great Britain went 3-0 to win the six-team Regensburg Qualifier in Germany. They scored 32 runs over those three games, with at least eight in each. The first-time entrant becomes the 17th team in the field for the 2023 WBC field, which begins March 8 and will have pool play in Taichung, Tokyo, Phoenix and Miami.

The most well-known names on the Great Britain roster are former Phillies pitcher Vance Worley and catcher Harry Ford, the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

Spain still has a chance to qualify; it will play the Czech Republic on Wednesday, with the winner there earning the second bid out of this qualifier.

Two more teams will make it to the WBC out of the Panama City Qualifier, which begins later this month. Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan and Panama will compete for those final two spots.

The USA is the defending champion of the event; it defeated Puerto Rico to win the 2017 WBC. The Americans will begin play on March 11 alongside Canada, Columbia and Mexico in Phoenix. Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt and Trea Turner are just a few of the big names who will suit up for Team USA.