Cuba takes top spot in 1st baseball rankings

LAUSANNE: Cuba is No 1 in the International Baseball Federation's first rankings.

South Korea, which beat Cuba for the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finished second on the list released on Tuesday. The United States was third in a ranking system that assigned points based on finishes in sanctioned events over the last four years, or in a period that includes two World Cups.

In addition to its silver at the Olympics, Cuba won the World Cup in 2005 and finished second to the United States in 2007. It also finished second to Japan, No 4 in the rankings, in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. The next classic will be played in March.