It’s Monday morning in Miami and we’re down to three teams after the United States cleaned Cuba’s clock in Sunday’s first semifinal. Japan will square off against Mexico in the second semifinal and it’s going to be a clash of relative unknowns.

In 2017, a Samurai Japan team without a single MLB player was one of two teams, along with Puerto Rico to enter the semis with a perfect 6-0 record, both finished with one loss, with both losses coming at the hands of the U.S., Japan 2-1 in the semis and Puerto Rico 8-0 in the final.

The records don’t really mean much because we’re talking about a handful of games against uneven competition. And because I spend my life thinking about Japanese baseball, I have a sense of Japan’s quality, but how that will play against Mexico or the United States in a single elimination game is anyone’s guess.