01:00 AM EST on Monday, March 20, 2006

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- So much for major leaguers being the best in the world.

The two teams playing tonight for the championship of the World Baseball Classic, Cuba and Japan, have a total of two players on big league rosters.

The Cubans have none, and Japan's Ichiro Suzuki had little insight to offer on his opponent.

"In terms of Cuba, I have no idea what to expect," the Seattle Mariners' star leadoff hitter and right fielder said. "I don't know any of their names. The fact they've come this far shows they are a team with serious potential."

And serious credentials -- last year's World Cup title, the 2004 Olympic championship and a victory in the 2003 Pan American Games to name just a few.

The virtually unknown Cubans, with their deep pitching staff and undeniable spirit, have won all but two of their last 24 games in international play. One of those losses was to Japan in the Athens Olympics.

The Cubans are a confident bunch who consider themselves amateurs despite their fame back home. They advanced with an emotional 3-1 victory over the Dominican Republic and its loaded lineup Saturday. Japan then avenged two earlier WBC losses to South Korea and won 6-0 in the second semifinal.

"I want you to know that what you saw is what will continue to happen," said Cuban outfielder Yoandy Garlobo, who drove in a run in the decisive seventh inning against the Dominicans. "The Cubans will continue with this pace."

There was a flurry of speculation yesterday that a Cuban player had defected, though Major League Baseball and Cuban officials quickly nixed that.

"No, there is no defection," Cuban spokesman Pedro Cabrera said after the team went through informal weight training and drills at Petco Park. "The Cuban team is in very high spirits. The aspirations from when we left Havana have been multiplied."

While neither team had announced its starting pitcher, Cuba said it was deciding between two options. Ormari Romero would be on turn after the right-hander beat Puerto Rico in the second round to clinch a spot in the semifinals. Yet he could be on a short leash, with Vicyhoandry Odelin and Yunieski Maya the other top choices.

Japan is likely to start right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, who led the Pacific League with 215 innings and 226 strikeouts for the Seibu Lions last year. Matsuzaka aspires to play in the United States and would like to use this as an audition for major league scouts.

For the Cubans, the unusually cool weather in Southern California has been challenging. The temperature was 58 degrees at first pitch for their game Saturday, and players wore blue undershirts beneath their jerseys. Pitchers warmed up in jackets.

Cuban manager Higinio Velez had two players throwing in the bullpen in the first inning against the Dominicans, though he stuck with 21-year-old Yadel Marti, who worked 12 2/3 shutout innings in four Classic appearances. Neither the finesse pitcher, Marti, nor the hard-throwing Pedro Lazo, Saturday's winner, will be available for the title matchup because of tournament rules.