Shocking! Will the March WBC disappear? "Considering holding it during the July All-Star break" MLB also suffering severe aftereffects

*This content was translated by AI.

Signs are emerging that the "March hosting" formula of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) may be broken. Major League Baseball (MLB) team general managers have begun to voice support for moving the tournament schedule to the "July All-Star Break" to prevent pitcher injuries.

The prominent U.S. media outlet "USA Today" reported on the 28th (Korean time), "Although the WBC is scheduled to be held in 2030, two years after the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics, MLB general managers want to change the format so that at least the final round is played during the All-Star break period, in order to prevent a wave of pitcher injuries in March when their arms are not fully prepared."

The WBC, which launched in 2006, has traditionally been held during the spring training period in March, just before the start of the regular season. However, criticism has continued that pitchers suffer severe overuse injuries to their elbows and shoulders because they take the mound in high-intensity international matches without having accumulated sufficient live pitching volume.

In fact, cases have followed one after another where pitchers experienced decreased velocity throughout the regular season after the tournament, suffered long-term absences, or ultimately required surgery. As a result, both the KBO League and MLB teams have suffered serious aftereffects in every tournament.

In response, the alternative proposed by MLB general managers is to utilize the July All-Star break, which occurs during the peak of the regular season. Since pitchers' live build-up will be complete by July, the intent is to reduce injury risk by having at least the semifinals and finals played during this period.

However, there are no small challenges to overcome, such as adjusting the number of games and schedule for the regular season due to the extension of the All-Star break, and reaching an agreement with the players' union (MLBPA).

A variable is the 2028 LA Olympics, which will be held two years earlier. The baseball event at the LA Olympics, scheduled for July 2028, is also being strongly discussed to be held during the summer break period of major professional leagues such as Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

In the LA Olympics main tournament, which features a total of six participating countries, host nation United States, along with top-ranked Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, have already confirmed their participation. Of the remaining tickets, two will be allocated to the top Asian country and the top European/Oceanian country, respectively, through the Premier 12 to be held in 2027, while the final ticket will be decided through a final qualification tournament.

Ultimately, how the negotiations regarding the suspension of professional leagues and the call-up of big leaguers during the 2028 LA Olympics are resolved is expected to become the decisive criterion for the schedule reform of the 2030 WBC. Attention from the global baseball community is focused on whether the WBC, which has sparked controversy over "pitcher tragedies" in every tournament, can transform into a summer event starting from 2030.

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*This content was translated by AI.