Effectively Wild Episode 2104: International Affairs

With this year’s MLB free agent market enlivened by international players, Ben Lindbergh talks to three guests about three baseball-rich countries. First, Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency joins to discuss the response in South Korea to Jung Hoo Lee 이정후’s signing, Shin-Soo Choo 추신수’s forthcoming retirement, the legendary career of Choi Dong-won, and the ongoing reckoning with bullying in the KBO and Korean culture at large. Then (44:21) Ben talks to NPB historian Rob Fitts about trailblazing Japanese pitchers Eiji Sawamura and Masanori Murakami, and how baseball would be different if Japanese players had entered MLB earlier. Lastly (1:12:02), Ben brings on Sami Khan, co-director of The Last Out, a documentary about three Cuban players who hoped to make the majors, to discuss their harrowing defections and how a talent exodus affected Cuban baseball. Audio intro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme” Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Yoo on Lee Link to Yoo on Lee 2 Link to Yoo on Lee 3 Link to Yoo on Lee 4 Link to Yoo on Choo Link to Yoo on Fedde Link to other Fedde article Link to Choi Dong-won wiki Link to Choi Dong-won Award wiki Link to Yoo on An’s bullying Link to Yoo on An 2 Link to An scouting report Link to info on Babcock firing Link to info on Peters firing Link to volleyball twins article Link to K-pop bullies Link to Mel Hall article Link to Mel Hall wiki Link to Rakuten bullying Link to Stove League EW wiki Link to stream Stove League Link to translators EW episode Link to baseball deadening article Link to KBO rules changes Link to Yomiuri baseball cheers Link to Rob’s website Link to Rob’s SABR page Link to Sawamura wiki Link to Sawamura Award wiki Link to posting system explainer Link to EW Episode 1311 Link to EW Episode 1621 Link to EW Episode 1816 Link to Sugar wiki Link to Ballplayer: Pelotero wiki Link to Cuba-NPB/KBO article Link to post on Rodríguez defection Link to article on Rodríguez FA Link to article on Arocha Link to The Last Out trailer Link to The Last Out website Link to Q&A with the doc stars Link to ESPN on Dominguez Link to article on Cuban baseball decline Link to ESPN on Cuba and the WBC Link to wet feet, dry feet wiki Link to 2018 MLB deal Link to scuttled MLB deal  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Twitter Account  EW Subreddit  Effectively Wild Wiki  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: [email protected] var SERVER_DATA = Object.assign(SERVER_DATA || {}); Source