006 Banzai Babe Ruth Author Robert K. Fitts

Let's Talk Japan Podcast

In this episode, Nick speaks with baseball historian and author Robert K. Fitts about his most recent book, Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, & Assassination During the 1934 Tour of Japan.

While its been referred to as “One of the greatest road trips in sports history,” the 1934 tour was about much more than the game of baseball. Diplomats on both sides of the Pacific hoped that a visit by Babe Ruth and company could help avert war between the United States and Japan. Instead, the All-American’s tour coincided with an attempted coup that could have been disastrous for the players and the two countries if it had succeeded.

This is a well-written and fast-paced account of not only larger than life personalities but also inspirational and, sometimes tragic, lesser known characters whose stories Fitts has thankfully helped preserve.

To purchase Banzai Babe Ruth and support the Let’s Talk Japan Podcast, use these affiliate links: Hardcopy, Paperback, Kindle, Audible

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Other great books by Rob Fitts include:

• Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Japanese Baseball: Hardcopy, Paperback, Kindle
• Remembering Japanese Baseball: An Oral History Of The Game: Paperback

To learn more about Japanese baseball, I also recommend these books:

• You Gotta Have Wa, by Robert Whiting: Paperback
• The Samurai Way of Baseball: The Impact of Ichiro and the New Wave from Japan, by Robert Whiting: Paperback
• Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card: Paperback