One way of looking at Samurai Japan's victory in the MLB-Japan All-Star Series is from the point of view that the Japanese team proved once again it could hold its own against the major leaguers.

This rings true, of course, with Japan reeling off three straight to effectively claim victory, including a Game 3 combined no-hitter, before the MLB team could even get off the mat. The MLB All-Stars won the last two official games of the series, then lost the tour's exhibition finale, but the series still ended with Japan on top, three games to two.

"Obviously they're the best in Japan," said New York Mets slugger Lucas Duda before Game 4. "I really didn't have an original notion of what they would be, I knew they would be good. I didn't know how good. I didn't think they were going to be this good."