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, f ...