Dave Nilsson can see the question coming like a fastball down the middle. The former catcher — one of the scant few to have worn the mask in both MLB and NPB — leans forward in his chair and lets out a chuckle.
“Yeah, go ahead,” he smiles. “Why not give it to me?”
Nilsson, known to many of his fans inside and outside Japan as “Dingo,” managed Australia to its best-ever showing at a World Baseball Classic in 2023, when the team upset South Korea in its first game and went on to reach the quarterfinals. The Aussies nearly made it to the semifinals, losing in a tight one-run contest against Cuba in the quarterfinals.