[3] To prevent one-sided contests, games are ended early if one team is ahead by a certain amount.
Organizers put this rule in place starting with the 2009 tournament, although originally, it did not come into effect until the 13th inning.
In 2023, the rule was changed to bring the WBC in line with Major League Baseball.
[9] Unlike regular season play, where the number of runs by which a team wins a game is not relevant, the number of runs by which a WBC team wins may be relevant if a tie later develops in the standings.
[10] This caused problems during the 2013 WBC, where one game spawned a bench-clearing brawl between the Canadian and Mexican teams (Canadian hitter Chris Robinson had bunted for a base hit after Canada had already taken a large lead, causing Mexican pitcher Arnold Leon to throw three consecutive pitches at the next hitter, Rene Tosoni).