Ready for the Baseball World Cup 2009

MONTERREY, Mexico.- The Mexican national baseball team is ready to take the next baseball World Cup challenge. After their last training day here in the Sultanes Baseball Park, the national team is ready to take on their first rivals: Taiwan.

The host nation for the Group A (where the national team plays) is the Czech Republic. The other group rivals beside the host nation and Taiwan is the Australian baseball team.

This will be the 38^th edition of the tournament were the favorite team to take home the prize is Cuba but they will face though competition from the USA, Japan, and Venezuela. Twenty-two teams representing all of the continents will take part of this competition. The first phase of the cup is as follows: (Host Nations in Bold)

The first and second places from each group and the best four 3^rd places overall with pass to the second round where the national teams of the Netherlands and Italy await. Then, the best four teams from each of the second round groups will go to another round whose two best teams will get to the final.

Mexico will try to get to the podium for the first time since the 1965 World Cup in Colombia when they lost the final with the host team. Also, it’s good to know that the “Tri” is ranked as the eight best national baseball team.

Miguel Gtz.