I still think the team USA will come out on top if the game is played in the MLB style: A long season with more than 150 games or so. At the highest level, the best team in baseball often wins only less than 60% of the time. The outcome wouldn’t be surprising even if the team USA were in fact the best team. The effect of chance gets magnified.
However, it is true that you don’t have to watch MLB to appreciate the best of baseball any more. When I was a kid, MLB seemed out of reach. It was unthinkable that a Japanese team would play well against MLB players.
Not any more.
And it is actually kind of sad that we have lost a lofty target and goal to follow and pursue. It is even sadder that this is happening when the popularity of baseball is actually dwindling in Japan.
