Manager Hideki Kuriyama's Samurai Japan team will begin its campaign for a third World Baseball Classic championship at Tokyo Dome on March 9 under a new format, organizers announced Thursday.
Next year's tournament will feature five-team first-round pools and knockout play, starting from the second-round pools, to decide who advances to the final round that concludes in Miami on March 21.
"It's an easy-to-understand tense and pressure-packed format," Kuriyama said during a news conference. "I'm going to be under great pressure. But it's going to be baseball at its best."