Asians In Baseball Asians in Baseball

Can you believe this is only the first month of the season?! 

First, this year's hottest collab is MLB x Kpop groups! And there are HOW MANY of our guys on the IL right now?!

Then, position player news: Tommy Pham and the White Sox make it official, Masataka Yoshida could use some more playing time, Anthony Volpe takes a big swing on his birthday, and there are a lot of guys raking right now, but Travis d'Arnaud is the home run KING.

And our pitchers are on fire! Shota Imanaga has a start to his MLB career for the record books, Yoshinobu Yamamoto silences the haters and shows off some gold glove reflexes, World Series Champ Dane Dunning has a 0BB 10K game, and Yusei Kikuchi and Shohei Ohtani face off in Toronto. 

So of course, we have to talk about Torontogate - Ohtani arrives at Rogers Centre to an ice-cold crowd, but his bat does the talking for him. And could he POSSIBLY pass the record set by Dave Roberts for most HR by a Japanese-born Dodger?!?! (Yes. The record is 7.)

Travis d'Arnaud throws out JRam: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6UbYltuUk9/

Shota Imanaga becomes a meme: https://tinyurl.com/3fz6fedr

Yamamoto saves his own life: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6MzDLApbNI/

Tickets to Kim's solo show Trauma Response on 5/4 in Minneapolis and 5/7 in LA! linktr.ee/kimcoopie


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First, a huge thank you to Nikki Kay for featuring Asians in Baseball on Spectrum Sportsnet!!

This week, we welcome 6 new players into the Asians in Baseball Universe, bringing us to 8 new guys this season and 46 known Asians in Baseball on MLB 40-man rosters!!! Welcome Matt Bowman (P - Twins), Joey Cantillo (P - Guardians), Freddy Tarnok (P - As), Cheng Tsung-Che (SS - Pirates), Riley O’Brien (P - Cardinals), Teng Kai Wei (P - Giants).

Then, in position player news, we discuss the (now confirmed) Tommy Pham rumors, Volpe stays raking, multiple guys flash Gold Glove-caliber leather, and Kim Ha Seong hopes to play in Petco Park “for years to come.”

In pitching news, Imanaga has a glorious 0.00 ERA through 15.1 IP, Yu Darvish lacked run support but his bud Yuki Matsui came in clutch, Brennan Bernadino proves he deserves more playing time, and Asians in Baseball get (sent) down, but we know they’ll get back up again.

Finally, we discuss the updates from the Feds’ investigation into the Ippei case. 



Seiya Suzuki’s new Cubs commercial: https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2024/04/14/seiya-suzuki-and-willie-harris-got-together-on-a-must-see-commercial/

Kim Ha Seong’s post game interview: https://twitter.com/SammyLev/status/1774594685383905758

Stuart Fairchild’s sick diving catch: https://www.mlb.com/reds/video/gavin-sheets-lines-out-to-right-fielder-stuart-fairchild

Alika Williams’ backhanded grab: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mlb.com/pirates/video/javier-baez-grounds-out-shortstop-alika-williams-to-first-baseman-rowdy-t&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1713332327193311&usg=AOvVaw1HeIMmfiIs945BkkUMTIc7

Corbin Carroll’s smooth sliding snag: https://www.mlb.com/video/brandon-pfaadt-in-play-out-s-to-nolan-gorman


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Asians in Baseball are ready to ECLIPSE the league!

First, welcome Naoyuki Uwasawa and Jahmai Jones to the AiB Cinematic Universe! 

Then, position players: Anthony Volpe and Conner Joe are off to hot starts,Travis d’Arnaud walks it off already, Kim Ha Seong and Lee Jung Hoo adjust to their new roles, and Steven Kwan and the Guardians play in the path of totality. 

After the break, Kenta Maeda shuts down his former team the Twins, Shota Imanaga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto showcase their nastiest pitches, Dane Dunning tries to prop up the defending World Series Champs, and Mitch White is BACK, BABY! 

Finally, a little plea to lay off Ohtani, we check in on the Tommy Pham rumors, and big congrats to Arjun Nimmala for his first career homer! 


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What in the KDrama is going on here?! It’s been a shocking week for Asians in Baseball, to say the least.

Let’s start from the Seoul Series: a false threat at the Sky Dome, the unceremonious demotion of Go Woo Suk, Asians show up for the first official games of the season (on the field and in the stands), and Yu Darvish has still got it at 37.

After the break, of course we have to talk about Ippei. The timeline that was - and is still - moving at a dizzying pace, the Ohtani press conference, and what this means from a cultural standpoint. 

And finally, Will the Thrill is back like he never left (because he has been working for the Dodgers this entire time!)

Tisha Thompson’s ESPN Timeline: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39784809/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-mizuhara-theft-line

Ohtani press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnlYgPCv438


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New season, new look, same us! We’re back for our third season of Asians in Baseball, and although the season hasn’t even officially started yet, we’re off to the races.



First up: trades! (Or lack thereof.) Tommy Pham remains a Free Agent with Opening Day looming, Ryu Hyun Jin returns to the KBO, the Mets and minors gain some of our faves, and Where in the World is Kim Ng?!



Then after the break: The Dodgers and Padres have landed in Korea! We talk exhibition games, Seoul Series, which MLB team belongs to which country, the significance of Korean representation on AND off-field, and some trolls are mad about Ohtani’s finger heart.



Lastly: RIP NAOMI’S NOTIFICATIONS. Ohtani announces he got married, and all hell breaks loose on the internet and our group chat.


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It may be the offseason, but Asians in Baseball are still putting in work!



2:55 - Ohtani STAYS BUSY. We discuss his introductory press conference (including Decoy, of course), his side gig as a GM in pulling Glasnow and Yamamoto, and his new Big Market Team persona.



41:08 - Free Agents have been flying! Lee Jung Hoo solidifies himself as the MLB version of a Kpop Idol, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and his plaid suit make their Dodgers debut, and is it somewhere in these Asian free agent contracts that you also have to have a dog?!



1:22:14 - Ooh baby are we ready for the Seoul Series! The first game sells out in 8 minutes, Kim Ha Seong’s been doing promo in Korea, the Dodgers and Padres are set to face off against KBO teams and the Korean national team in exhibition, and…are the Padres the Most Asian Team in MLB???


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/asiansinbaseball/message