Baseball fans rejoice! The Estadio Charros in Guadalajara has been selected to host one of the four group phases of the fourth World Baseball Classic, from March 9-22, 2017.

The stadium, located in Zapopan to the north of the metropolitan area, will increase its capacity from 11,500 to 16,000 for the tournament.

“It’s like hitting a home run with the bases loaded,” Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval said at a press conference to  announce the accomplishment.

Guadalajara beat out Hermosillo, Mexico; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and San Juan, Puerto Rico to win the fight to be a co-host of the 2017 edition of the World Baseball Classic.

The four teams in Group D – Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Italy – will all play each other at the Charros Stadium between March 9-12.

Fans can expect to see established Major League stars in action, including Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers (Mexico), Jose Atuve of the Astros (Venezuela), Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (Puerto Rico) and Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs (Italy).

The other host sites for first stage group games are Tokyo, Seoul and Miami.  The second round groups will be held in Tokyo and at Petco Park in San Diego.  The semi-finals and final are scheduled at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on March 20, 21 and 22.

The extra cost of equipping and enlarging the Charros Stadium for the tournament will be borne by the Jalisco state government and the private sector. Ticket prices and sale conditions have yet to be announced.  Demand is expected to be high.

Interest in baseball has grown since the Charros franchise returned to Guadalajara in the Mexican Pacific League two years ago.  Attendances at home games have averaged around the 8,000-9,000 mark.

The World Baseball Classic started in 2006 in the hope it might catch on with the public and become baseball’s version of the hugely popular World Soccer Cup.

Previous winners of the tournament are Japan (2006 and 2009) and the Dominican Republic (2013).