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

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

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! 

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

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.

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???

We did it, Sho!!!!

0:28 - YEAH WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT OHTANI! The rumors, the Dave Roberts Press Conference Heard 'Round the World, the Toronto madness, the enormous contract, the enormous contract deferral, what this means for the Asian/Asian American community, and more. (Though we recorded this on Wednesday 12/13 before the press conference, so we don't get to that yet!)

1:04:00 - Ohtani's not the only Asian in Baseball making moves: Kyle Higashioka comes home to SoCal with the Padres, Kenta stays in the Midwest to join the Tigers, Lee Jung Hoo holds down the Bay Area Asians in Baseball, plus many more free agent moves yet to come!

Keep your eyes peeled, this wild ride isn't over yet...

Lars Nootbaar's op-ed in the Player's Tribune: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/lars-nootbaar-st-louis-cardinals-mlb-japan-world-baseball-classic?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-playerstribune&utm_content=later-39782451&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio

The postseason has come to an end, but Asians were still all over in the playoffs, end-of-season awards, and - of course - trade rumors! 🍾3:38 - If you left your Asian player off your DS roster or reassigned him to relief pitching, it didn’t work out well for you! (And if you were the Dodgers…it still didn’t work out well for you 😬)11:58 - Only 4 Asian players were in the CS, and a little amateur sleuthing (read: Googling) was the key to learning about one rookie’s Asian heritage 🕵🏻‍♀️16:50 - The World Series 🤩 H.E.R. opens the Fall Classic singing the National Anthem, Corbin Carroll shows true leadership in his first WS appearance, and Tommy Pham opts to help out a teammate over going for a World Series record (and for this, is awarded the highly-coveted Asians in Baseball World Series MVP award), and Dane Dunning emerges a World Series Champion 🏆37:25 - Did someone say FREE AGENCY?! 🗣️ This year’s FA class is absolutely stacked with international Asian players - and that’s without mentioning a certain TWP 👀 And further up the chain of command, Kim Ng walks away from the Marlins after their egregious display of disrespect 😤1:06:05 - Awards!!!! 🥇 We announce the Silver Sluggers as they come in live, three guys win Gold Gloves, and there are Asians in the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player conversations, obviously! 👑

It’s the playoffs, baby! And we’ve got you covered on all things Asians in the Postseason.

3:31 - Just a LITTLE Ohtani Talk to start us off. Shohei exited the regular season early, but what’s all this mean for 2024?????

13:16 - The Wild Card has already come and gone, but not before Kikuchi got thrown to the wolves, Yeli's bat wasn't enough to carry the Brewers, and Kim Ng made history yet again in the final year of her contract.

27:40 - Any Division Series game you watch, you could see Asians in Baseball! First up, the NLDS: Corbin Carroll and Tommy Pham lead the Dbacks into a battle with Dave Roberts’ Dodgers (very likely including Postseason veteran Kolten Wong), we’re bound to see some of Travis d’Arnaud with Atlanta, and is there possibly an Asian in Baseball on the Phillies?!?!

45:37 - In the American League: expect to see Kenta Maeda pitch for Naomi’s beloved Twins (whether in his rightful role as a starter or in relief), and Asians in the Rangers-Orioles matchup have limited Postseason experience in Dane Dunning and Shintaro Fujinami, but it’s sure to be a fun series. 

7 players and 1 manager enter the Asians in Baseball Division Series…how many will take home the trophy? Only one way to find out...

We’re only a month from the Postseason, and Asians in Baseball are in it to win it! 

1:10 - Some quick Asians in Soccer/Futbol news!

3:44 - Position players are dominating! Masataka Yoshida homers in back-to-back games to break his “drought,” Anthony Volpe enters Yankees Rookie History, Steven Kwan takes a rare first-pitch swing which pays off in a big way, SD native Tommy Edman walks it off against the Padres two nights in a row, and Kolten Wong made his presence known with a huge splash in his Dodgers debut.

32:46 - Let’s talk pitching: Ryu Hyun Jin is settling in in his return, Bryan Woo is mixing it up with new pitches AND a barehanded play, Kodai Senga and the ghost fork continue to dunk on hitters, Shintaro Fujinami is soaring as an Oriole, and we give a few of our guys the Asians in Baseball bump.

46:30 - Oh, Ohtani. His agent has provided some updates on his elbow injury, a new oblique injury has entered the chat, the Angels try to replace him with a stand in at photo day, and we speculate on if we have seen the last of him this season.

Anthony Volpe’s Jeter-esque play: https://tinyurl.com/2s42mb2z

Steven Kwan’s “Chatting Practice” interview: https://www.mlb.com/video/chatting-practice-steven-kwan-82078

Dong A Ilbo article about Kim Ha Seong: https://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20230905/4405330/1

Bryan Woo’s sweet barehanded catch: https://www.mlb.com/video/bryan-woo-in-play-out-s-to-spencer-steer