Anaheim Could Share World Baseball Classic

The championship round of the World Baseball Classic will be held in San Diego, with the possibility that the preceding round of the tournament will be played in Anaheim.

In a news conference today in San Diego, baseball officials plan to announce the selection of Petco Park as the venue for the semifinals and final of the inaugural event.

The Angels submitted a bid Wednesday to play host to the second round of the 16-team tournament.

Angel President Dennis Kuhl said the team is excited about the prospect of Team USA and Team Mexico, among others, playing in Anaheim.

“There are some great teams out there,” Kuhl said. “I think it’s going to be a great showcase for the players.”

The Angels’ top players, however, would not be showcased in Anaheim. Outfielder Vladimir Guerrero and pitcher Bartolo Colon would represent the Dominican Republic, and closer Francisco Rodriguez would play for Venezuela.

Those countries would advance to second-round games in Puerto Rico. The Dominican Republic and Venezuela would join Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama, Australia, Italy and the Netherlands in pool play, with four teams qualifying for the second round. Cuba has not yet agreed to participate.

The U.S. and Mexico would join Canada, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan and South Africa in pool play. Four of those teams would advance to a second round in the continental U.S.

Those games, scheduled March 13-15, are the ones on which the Angels bid. The championship round is scheduled March 18-20, so Anaheim figures to be an attractive option given the proximity to San Diego.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners also bid for the championship round.

The Dodgers did not submit a bid for tournament games, citing uncertainty over whether stadium renovations could be completed by March.

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The Chicago White Sox won coin flips Wednesday and would play host to the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees if a tiebreaker playoff is needed to determine the wild-card winner.

Baseball conducted other coin flips Sept. 12 and last Friday, and added the White Sox to the wild-card possibilities as Cleveland drew closer to Chicago in the AL Central.

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Associated Press contributed to this report.