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We are a little under a week from the start of the World Baseball Classic. Most of the best players from around the world will take the baseball field for their home country. Festivities kick off on Tuesday, March 7th, and will wrap up on Tuesday March 21st. This of course means any player participating will miss two weeks of Spring Training.

It will feature 20 teams, split up into 4 different groups. The United States are the defending Champions from 2017 and will be in Group C. Joining them are Mexico, Great Britian, Columbia, and Canada. Group A features Cuba, Italy, Netherlands, Chinese Tapei, and Panama. In Group B two time champions Japan, along with Korea, China, Chezch Republic, and Australia. And in Group D will be the 2013 Champions Dominican Republic, along with Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and Isreal.

It is the 5th edition of the World Baseball Classic. These games were supposed to take place in 2021. But the World Pandemic pushed the qualifying games and the actual World Baseball Classic back to 2023.

Games will take place across 4 different fields. Two in the United States, 1 in Japan, and 1 in Taiwan. Arizona's Chase Field and Miami's Loan Depot Park are the two American Fields hosting games. The Tokyo Dome, obviously from Tokyo, will host the games in Japan. And the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium will host the games played in Taiwan. The United States will play its group-stage games in Arizona. The top 2 teams from each group advance to the tournament. The Quarterfinals games take place in Tokyo or Miami. And then the Semi-Final games and the Finals all take place in Miami.

8 Phillies, and several former Phillies, are competing in the World Baseball Classic. Who are they, and what teams are they playing for? Here are all the Phillies' connections in the World Baseball Classic.

[Source: Wikapedia.com]

Eight  Current Phillies are playing, but there are also 7 former Phillies players taking part in the games.

Other than Neris and Segura, not exactly a group of names the Phillies are looking forward to seeing again. It's either guys who barely played here or in Pivetta's case, flamed out here.