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 MacKinn ...