Similar to the exhibition schedule for the eight WBC teams based during the first round in Phoenix and San Juan, the Netherlands and Japan will play a couple of warm-ups against MLB teams in Spring Training as preparation for the semi-finals in San Francisco. The Dutch team will square off with the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners on Thursday and Friday at 7pm local time in Peoria, Arizona. Japan is facing the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs in Scottsdale respective Mesa at 1pm local time.
Both teams otherwise would have been off without actual game action until the semi-finals will be played at AT&T Park in San Francisco on March 17 and 18. World Baseball Classic, Inc. has ordered charter flights from Tokyo to Arizona to San Francisco to help keeping the travel burden to a minimum.