The penultimate game of the World Baseball Classic will take place Monday night, as Mexico plays Japan in Miami.
The Angels’ Patrick Sandoval will face off against Roki Sasaki, the 21-year-old phenom who pitches for the Chiba Lotte Marines in NPB. Sandoval last pitched against the United States, which ended in a decisive 11-5 victory.
It isn’t out of bounds to say that, on paper, this is a battle of David vs. Goliath. Japan would be a Goliath by any metric so far in this tournament. Samurai Japan is the only undefeated team remaining in the WBC, led by NPB superstars such as Sasaki and Munetaka Murakami and MLB stars like Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish alike. Japan is 5-0, having gone undefeated in pools and beaten Italy 9-3 in the quarterfinals.
Mexico, meanwhile, has been uneven. Despite dominant wins over the United States and Canada, it has looked flat against Great Britain and Colombia, the latter of which resulted in Mexico’s only loss of the tournament. Mexico, however, is rolling into this game off an emotional win over Puerto Rico, and Randy Arozarena has been one of the best players in this tournament.
The winner of this game will go on to face the United States in the championship. If Japan loses, it would be Samurai Japan’s third straight third-place finish after winning the first two iterations of the WBC. Mexico, meanwhile, has already exceeded its best finish. It’s looking to make its first final against a team it knows it can beat, because it literally has.Â
MORE:Â Watch the World Baseball Classic live on fuboTV (free trial)
The Sporting News is providing live score updates and highlights of Mexico vs. Japan in the World Baseball Classic semifinals. Follow along below.
Mexico vs. Japan score
| Â | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | F |
| Mexico | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Japan | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Mexico vs. Japan live updates, highlights from World Baseball Classic
(All times Eastern)
Mexico vs. Japan start time
- Start time:Â 7 p.m. ET
Mexico and Japan will begin at 7 p.m. ET. They’ll be playing at loanDepot Park in Miami, home of MLB’s Marlins.
How to watch Mexico vs. Japan in World Baseball Classic
- TV channel:Â FS1
- Live stream: FoxSports.com, fuboTV
The Fox family of networks is televising the World Baseball Classic, and Mexico vs. Japan will be on FS1.
The game can be streamed via FoxSports.com or fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
