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.

In this episode of Pacific Swings, we sit down with Trey Hillman — the only manager in baseball history to have managed teams in Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball, and the Korea Baseball Organization.

He didn't just manage in all three leagues. He won in two of them.

Hillman managed the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2003 to 2007, winning the 2006 Japan Series — ending a 25-year championship drought — while managing a young Yu Darvish in his development years. He then managed the Kansas City Royals in MLB before heading to Korea, where he won the Korean Series with SK Wyverns in 2018. He's also coached with the Dodgers, Yankees, Astros, and Marlins. Nobody in baseball has seen more of the game from the dugout across three different worlds. Key Topics Covered:

• Why Trey left a clear MLB path to take a risk on Japan in 2003
• The biggest cultural shocks of managing Japanese players
• Managing Yu Darvish — and knowing early he was destined for the big leagues
• How he built the 2006 Fighters into champions after 25 years without a title
• The famous "Shinjirarenai!" moment after winning the Japan Series
• Structuring a roster under NPB's foreign player limits
• What MLB can learn from Japan and Korea — and vice versa
• How management style has to shift between American, Japanese, and Korean players

About Trey Hillman: Trey Hillman began his career in the Yankees and Rangers organizations before becoming one of the most traveled managers in global baseball history. As manager of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2003–2007), he won the 2006 Japan Series and oversaw a 14-game winning streak in 2007. He managed the Kansas City Royals (2008–2010) and later won the 2018 Korean Series with the SK Wyverns. He has served as a coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Miami Marlins.

Hosted by Jasper Spanjaart and David MacKinnon.

🇯🇵 Japanese Episode Notes エピソードタイトル： MLB、NPB、KBOすべてを制した唯一の監督 — トレイ・ヒルマン エピソードノート： MLBとNPBとKBO、三つのリーグすべてで監督を務めた唯一の人物、トレイ・ヒルマンが登場。2006年の日本シリーズ制覇（北海道日本ハムファイターズ）と2018年の韓国シリーズ制覇（SKワイバーンズ）を達成した伝説の監督が、異なる野球文化でのチームマネジメント、ダルビッシュ有との思い出、そして日米韓の野球から学んだ教訓を語る。

🇰🇷 Korean Episode Notes 에피소드 제목： MLB, NPB, KBO — 3개 리그를 모두 경험한 유일한 감독, 트레이 힐먼 에피소드 노트： 메이저리그, 일본 프로야구, KBO 리그 세 곳 모두에서 감독을 맡은 역사상 유일한 인물, 트레이 힐먼. 2006년 일본시리즈 우승과 2018년 SK 와이번스와의 한국시리즈 우승을 이끈 그가 세 리그의 야구 문화 차이, 다르빗슈 유와의 추억, 그리고 국제 야구에서 배운 교훈을 솔직하게 털어놓는다.

In this episode of Pacific Swings, we sit down with Cooper Hummel — an outfielder whose 2025 season reads less like a baseball career and more like a fever dream written by someone who has never seen a contract before. Astros. Yankees. Orioles (for 48 hours). DFA'd. Re-signed. DFA'd again. And then: 11 homers in 22 games with Tampa Bay in AAA, a flight to Tokyo, and a deal with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.

David MacKinnon, former NPB player and Seibu Lions alumnus, guides Cooper through what's coming. Jasper Spanjaart watches from a safe distance, having never been DFA'd in his life.

Inside This Episode:

- The high school coach who told Cooper he'd never amount to anything as a switch hitter (current status: professional switch hitter, year 10)

- Being drafted in the 32nd round and building an MLB career anyway

- Why Cooper always knew NPB was in his future — he lived in Japan as a kid

- Playing Little League in Musashi-Fuchu with a future NPB player as a teammate

- First impressions of Yokohama: the food, the shopping, the neighborhood

- Why the BayStars care more about the CL pennant than the Japan Series

- The NPB dead ball era coming to an end (allegedly — we know nothing, don't sue us)

- Goal-setting: OBP .400 every year, compare yourself to the best in the league

- If Cooper hits 40 homers, he's buying dinner. We're holding him to this.

🎙️ Hosted by David MacKinnon (@DCMacK24) & Jasper Spanjaart (@spnjrt) 📺 Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@PacificSwings

#CooperHummel #YokohamaBayStars #DeNABayStars #NPB #JapaneseBaseball #PacificSwings #DavidMacKinnon #BaseballPodcast #NPB2025 #BayStars2025 #MiyazakiToshiro #YoshiTsutsugo #ShugoMaki #MLBtoNPB #SpringTrainingJapan #NPBDeadBall #横浜DeNAベイスターズ #クーパー・ヒュンメル #宮崎敏郎 #牧秀悟 #筒香嘉智 #プロ野球2025 #外国人選手NPB #野球ポッドキャスト