Pacific Swings brings you exclusive interviews and insider stories from players who’ve crossed the Pacific Ocean. Hosted by former MLB, NPB & KBO player David MacKinnon and filmmaker/journalist Jasper Spanjaart.
David MacKinnon (1994) played professional baseball for nearly a decade, competing in Major League Baseball (MLB), Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO).
Jasper Spanjaart (1995) is an established journalist and documentary filmmaker specializing in sports and cultural storytelling. His work focuses on the intersection of athletics and international culture.
Together, they host Pacific Swings, a podcast dedicated to exploring the cultural and athletic connections between American, Japanese, and Korean professional baseball. Through exclusive interviews and insider perspectives, the show bridges baseball’s two worlds, offering listeners unique insights into the global game.
Two worlds, one podcast, countless stories.
ありがとう, 감사합니다, and welcome to Pacific Swings.
Monthly Swings: Inside the NPB with Cooper Hummel & Trey Cabbage | Talking Smack and Breaking Unwritten Rules of Baseball | Ep. 1
In this first edition of Monthly Swings, we sit down with Cooper Hummel (横浜DeNA BayStars) and Trey Cabbage (Yomiuri Giants) — two Americans playing on opposite sides of Japan's most storied rivalry — for what will be a monthly check-in from inside the NPB.
Cooper is one month into his Japan adventure. Trey is navigating his second year with the Giants. Together they break down what nobody tells you about playing in Japan — from what it's really like guarding the outfield when the band won't stop playing, to taunting each other mid-game during a BayStars-Giants matchup, to the unwritten rules of baseball that Cooper may or may not have broken by borrowing Trey's bat mid-series.
Hosted by documentary filmmaker Jasper Spanjaart and former MLB/NPB/KBO player David MacKinnon.
🎧 Pacific Swings is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Keywords: Cooper Hummel, Trey Cabbage, Monthly Swings, NPB, Japanese Baseball, Pacific Swings, Yokohama BayStars, Yomiuri Giants, Baseball Podcast, Americans in Japan, NPB 2026, BayStars Giants
月刊スウィングス：NPBの中から — クーパー・ヒュンメル & トレイ・キャベッジ | Pacific Swings |「試合で戦って、その後話す。」| 第1回
概要：
新企画『月刊スウィングス』第1回。ゲストはクーパー・ヒュンメル（横浜DeNAベイスターズ）とトレイ・キャベッジ（読売ジャイアンツ）。NPBの伝統の一戦で対戦する2人が、毎月Pacific Swingsに登場します。
来日1ヶ月のクーパーと、2年目を迎えたトレイが語るのは、ハイライトには映らないNPBのリアル。爆音スタジアムで外野を守る感覚、ベイスターズ対ジャイアンツの試合中に互いを煽り合った瞬間、そしてシリーズ中にバットを借りて野球の暗黙のルールを破った件まで。
そして2人は、まだこの番組の名前を決めていません。
ホスト： ドキュメンタリー映像作家 Jasper Spanjaart と、MLB・NPB・KBOでプレーした元プロ野球選手 David MacKinnon。
🎧 Pacific Swings は Spotify、Apple Podcasts、YouTube で配信中。
キーワード： クーパー・ヒュンメル、トレイ・キャベッジ、月刊スウィングス、NPB、日本野球、Pacific Swings、横浜DeNAベイスターズ、読売ジャイアンツ、野球ポッドキャスト、NPB2026
27 Apr 2026
Scott Mathieson (マシソン) on 8 Years in Japan & Legendary Baseball Brawls | Pacific Swings | "The umpire told me to only throw fastballs against Ohtani"
In this episode of Pacific Swings, we sit down with Scott Mathieson — a Canadian pitcher who survived two Tommy John surgeries before the age of 25, made it to the Philadelphia Phillies, and then made a decision that changed his life: he went to Japan.
What was supposed to be a one-year deal turned into eight seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, an NPB all-time record for holds by a foreign pitcher, and — in a first for the franchise — a foreigner being named pitching captain.
Scott opens up about the brawl in year three that turned his worst season around, what Jim Thome told him that saved his career, why he kept turning down MLB offers, and what it felt like to be handed the Giants captaincy as the first foreigner in club history. He also reflects on raising two Japan-born children, facing a young Shohei Ohtani, and what he told every new foreign player arriving in Tokyo.
One of the most complete stories we've had on Pacific Swings.
Hosted by documentary filmmaker Jasper Spanjaart and former MLB/NPB/KBO player David MacKinnon.
🇯🇵 Japanese subtitles available on YouTube.
概要：
今回の Pacific Swings のゲストは スコット・マシソン。25歳になる前に2度のトミー・ジョン手術を乗り越え、フィラデルフィア・フィリーズでメジャーデビューを果たしたカナダ人投手です。そして彼は、人生を変える決断をします——日本行きです。1年のつもりが 読売ジャイアンツ での8シーズンとなり、NPB外国人投手歴代最多ホールド記録を樹立。さらに球団史上初の外国人キャプテンにも就任しました。
3年目に経験した乱闘がどうシーズンを変えたか、ジム・トームの一言がどうキャリアを救ったか、なぜMLBのオファーを断り続けたか、そして外国人初のキャプテン就任がどんな意味を持ったか——率直に語ってくれました。日本生まれの2人の子どもを育てた経験、若き大谷選手との対戦、東京に降り立つ新しい外国人選手たちへ伝え続けたこと。Pacific Swingsの中でも特に充実したエピソードの一つです。
ホスト： ドキュメンタリー映像作家 Jasper Spanjaart と、MLB・NPB・KBOでプレーした元プロ野球選手 David MacKinnon。
🎧 Pacific Swings は Spotify、Apple Podcasts、YouTube で配信中。
🇯🇵 日本語字幕はYouTubeでご覧いただけます。
キーワード： スコット・マシソン、読売ジャイアンツ、NPB、日本野球、Pacific Swings、野球ポッドキャスト、トミー・ジョン手術、大谷翔平、外国人キャプテン、フィラデルフィア・フィリーズ、ホールド記録
9 Apr 2026
Lewis Brinson on Japan, Pressure and Wearing Jackie Robinson's Number at the Tokyo Dome | Pacific Swings | "Going to Japan was the best decision I ever made"
In this episode of Pacific Swings, we sit down with Lewis Brinson — first-round pick, centerpiece of one of MLB's most talked-about trades, and the man who wore number 42 at the Tokyo Dome for the Yomiuri Giants in 2023.
Lewis opens up about what it really felt like to arrive in Miami as the Marlins' top prospect with the weight of a city on his shoulders, how that pressure shaped him as a player, and why signing with Japan's most storied franchise turned out to be the best decision he ever made — for himself and his family. He also reflects on the Tokyo Dome experience, Japanese fans crying at the sight of him on the subway, and what he'd tell his younger self if he could.
One of the most honest conversations we've had on Pacific Swings.
🇯🇵 Japanese subtitles available on YouTube.
Who has been a guest on Pacific Swings
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
David MacKinnon
Dietrich Enns
Jasper Spanjaart
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
98,848
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
62
Social presence
0
YouTube
85
Engagement
0
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