(Press Release; WBSC-AMERICAS).- The Panama and Nicaragua national teams won the two remaining tickets for the U23 World Classic in the qualifier that ended yesterday in Panama City.
Latin America and the Caribbean will have eight participants in the World Baseball Classic, Nicaragua and Panama will join Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic representing the continent.
Panama advanced at home needing only two games, they beat Argentina in their first encounter by knockout 11 to 0 and that gave them the opportunity to play for the WorldCup ticket in their next game. In it, he beat Brazil by shutout 4-0 to advance.
Nicaragua had it a little more complicated to achieve its first participation in the event, first they fell to Brazil 4-1, which sent them to a game of life or death against Argentina in which they came out on top by a one run 6-5. That allowed them to play for the ticket to the World Cup against Brazil once again, but this time they managed to win 3-1 to advance.
Brazil was one step away from returning to the event, they had two opportunities, but they were shut out against Panama and then, in a rematch against Nicaragua, they could not repeat their victory and will not be in the World Cup.
Argentina, the other participant of the event from South America, endured four games to try to get into the tournament, but finished with a 2-2 record, without a chance to advance, but excelling in their attempt to get into the event.
Panama and Nicaragua joined Great Britain and the Czech Republic who had made it to the World Baseball Classic a few weeks earlier in the qualifying event held in Germany.
With these final four teams classified, the 20 nations that will participate in the World Baseball Classic are completed, after a five-year wait, the event will return in March 2023.
(Media Management; WBSC-AMERICAS)
