The World Baseball Classic may involve 16 nations, but this year's tournament has looked more like a Japan-South Korea invitational.
The two Asian nations have faced each other four times in the WBC and will meet for a fifth time in the final if Japan defeats the United States in its semifinal game on Sunday.
There's a saying that familiarity breeds contempt, and it's likely many fans are growing weary of Japan facing South Korea at the WBC.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.