World Baseball Classic Championship Trophy
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Winning the World Baseball Classic |
| Presented by | World Baseball Classic Inc. World Baseball Softball Confederation |
| History | |
| First winner |  Japan (2006) |
| Most wins | Japan (3 titles) |
| Most recent |  Venezuela (2026) |
| Website | WBCI.com |
The World Baseball Classic Championship Trophy[1] is the trophy presented by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) (through World Baseball Classic Inc.) to the winning team of the World Baseball Classic.
The World Baseball Classic Trophy was produced by Tiffany & Co. craftsmen over 200 hours.
The winning team of each world baseball classic is rewarded a large silver trophy as its primary recognition.
Design
[edit]
It is originally made of sterling silver (with gold details added over time) by Tiffany & Co., a long-established silvery shop.
Height: 25 inches (approximately 63.5 cm),
Weight: 30 lbs (approximately 13.6 kg)
Material: Silver (sterling silver) and 24-karat gold.
The design motif is Global Baseball with the World Baseball Classic logo and consists of a pedestal, four boards, and balls. The pedestal cut into four tiers represents the tournament in the fourth round (first round, second round, semi-finals, and final), and the four sloping boards extending upward from the pedestal and the feather-shaped boards facing the upper center represent the four pools (first round). Also, the central baseball, supported by four boards, symbolizes the earth (global).
History
[edit]Japan would counter by pushing their offensive limit over Cuba's, which would result in a final score of ten to six.
Darvish made short work of South Korea, capping with a strikeout of Keun-woo Jeong to clinch Japan's successful defense of their 2006 championship.[2][3]
The Dominican Republic completed the tournament with an 8–0 record, becoming the first undefeated team to win the WBC.[4]
The United States completed the shutout to win the championship.[5]
Ohtani lured Trout to swing and miss with a slider down and away, sealing the victory for Japan.[6]
Venezuela had landslide victories over Japan and Italy in the quarterfinal and semifinal and won this year's World Baseball Classic tournament, beating the United States 3–2 in the championship game, with Eugenio Suarez hitting a go-ahead double in the top of the 9th to clinch their first title.
By team
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The two trophies earned by Japan during the inaugural and second classics have been on display at the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame while the place to display the trophy won by the Dominican Republic team is yet to be decided.
Most recently, Team USA had its best showing in the tournament so far, taking home the 2017 World Baseball Classic gold medal.
Japan is the only team to win the tournament multiple times, with back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2009, and a third win at the 2023 tournament.
It was the first major international sporting competition won by Venezuela since the 1945 Amateur World Series, and the second time in Latin America.[7]
Following Venezuela's victory, acting president Delcy Rodríguez declared a national holiday for March 18, with the exception of essential workers. She also received the trophy at the presidential palace and declared that it should tour around Venezuela.[8] For their victory, the Venezuelan team will reportedly split US$6.75 million of the US$37 million prize pool among the players and staff, for approximately US$112,500 per person.[9]
| Team | Trophies | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Japan |
3 | 2006, 2009, 2023 |
| Venezuela |
1 | 2026 |
 United States |
1 | 2017 |
 Dominican Republic |
1 | 2013 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑
- "Japan 2023 World Baseball Classic Championship Trophy Pano Framed LE #1". MLB Auctions. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- Suvanto, Lyndon. "World Baseball Classic Trophy unveiled, how does it compare to past designs?". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ↑ "Ichiro comes through with big hit as Japan wins WBC". ESPN. Associated Press. March 24, 2009. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
- ↑ "Japan vs. Korea box score". Yahoo! Sports. March 24, 2009. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
- ↑ "To D.R., WBC title means everything". ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ↑ Gatto, Tom (March 22, 2017). "World Baseball Classic 2017: Live updates of U.S.-Puerto Rico tournament final". Sporting News. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ↑ Stutman-Shaw, Caleb (April 22, 2023). "Imperialism at the World Baseball Classic". The College Hill Independent. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ↑ "Venezuela 3-2 United States: World Baseball Classic final – as it happened". The Guardian. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ↑ "Venezuela celebrates first World Baseball Classic title with national holiday". Reuters. March 18, 2026. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
- ↑ Report: Venezuela players to split $3.375M of record $37M WBC prize pool, retrieved March 19, 2026