Fox Sports Steps to the Plate with World Baseball Classic Coverage

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FS1 airs first tournament game tonight; Team USA debuts against England March 11 on Fox

Fox Sports's Joe Davis (l.) and John Smoltz
Fox Sports's Joe Davis (l.) and John Smoltz (Image credit: Fox Sports)

Fox Sports will take the field March 7 for its coverage of the World Baseball Classic international tournament.

Fox, FS1, FS2, Tubi and Fox Deportes will combine to carry live all 47 games of the three-week, 20-team international elimination baseball tournament that kicks off with the Cuba-Netherlands matchup on FS1. 

Fox will televise the first game for Team USA, which features such players as Mike Trout, Trea Turner and Adam Wainwright, as it meets England on March 11. Fox Sports announcers Joe Davis and John Smoltz will call the Team USA opener, according to the company. 

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All World Baseball Classic games will be played across four venues, including Chase Field in Phoenix and LoanDepot Park in Miami, as well as the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, and Taichung Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan.

Team USA won the last World Baseball Classic in 2017; the 2021 tournament was canceled due to the pandemic. Japan won the first two WBC tournaments in 2006 and 2009, while the Dominican Republic won in 2013.

“What a fantastic way to build excitement around the 2023 baseball season, with the best players in the world facing off for pride of country,” Fox Sports president and chief operating officer Mark Silverman said in a statement. ■ 

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.