Pitcher Sean Doolittle of the Washington Nationals

6th October 2023

Sean Doolittle played a decade in the major leagues. He was a beloved weirdo and all-star with the Oakland A’s. Then, a World Series champion with the Washington Nationals. Last month, Doolittle announced his retirement from baseball. On Bullseye, we’re celebrating his long career by throwing it back to our conversation with him in 2017. Sean Doolittle stopped by to talk about his time in the MLB, and the tenacity he had to build after a number of career-threatening injuries. Plus, he reminisced about the first time he got to play in the majors and how it was almost one of the most terrifying ways a new player could start off.

Episode notes

Sean Doolittle #63 of the Washington Nationals pitches during a baseball game against the New York Mets at the Nationals Park on April 8, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Sean Doolittle played a decade in the major leagues. 

He was a beloved weirdo and all-star with the Oakland A’s. Then, a World Series champion with the Washington Nationals. And in the later years of his career, he was a vagabond, drifting between Cleveland, Seattle, and back to D.C..

Doolittle was good as a pitcher. He held a 3.20 career ERA. And above all, he was a great guy on and off the field. 

During his time in baseball, Doolittle was a voice of conscience for the league. He visited injured veterans, spoke up fervently for the rights of minor leaguers, and advocated for the rights of queer and trans people.

He was the type of player you root for, even when he’s not on your team. 

Last month, Doolittle announced his retirement from baseball. Check out his Twitter account to follow his next steps. 

On Bullseye, we’re celebrating his long career by throwing it back to our conversation with him in 2017. Sean Doolittle stopped by to talk about his time in the MLB, and the tenacity he had to build after a number of career-threatening injuries. Plus, he reminisced about the first time he got to play in the majors and how it was almost one of the most terrifying ways a new player could start off.

In this episode...

Senior Producer
Producer
Maximum Fun Producer
Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Guests

  • Sean Doolittle

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

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Senior Producer

Producer

Maximum Fun Producer

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

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