Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether the Phillies’ surge would have happened the same way if Rob Thomson hadn’t been fired, discuss streaks that were snapped for the Mets and Rico Garcia, delight and dismay in John Kruk repeating a podcast talking point, try to determine the most embarrassing failure a player can suffer on the field, bemoan a missed opportunity for an ambidextrous pitching appearance, mark the promotion of Mariners prospect Colt Emerson, and then discuss which of this season’s most over- or underperforming teams will regress.

Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Spaghettis, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to team records since 4/28
Link to team run differentials since 4/28
Link to team records since 4/26
Link to Dan S. on managerial firings
Link to Neil P. on managerial firings
Link to Mets comeback game story
Link to past Mets streak discussion
Link to Holmes injury story
Link to Davis call story
Link to Garcia hit
Link to .000 BABIP streaks
Link to mound-charge strategy discussion
Link to Kruk clip 1
Link to Kruk clip 2
Link to Phillies vs. Pirates game
Link to Adolis arms
Link to Reds walk streak
Link to Cortes pitching play log
Link to Cortes profile
Link to 2025 Cortes switch-throwing game
Link to Venditte glove article
Link to Cortes pitching tweet
Link to FG post on Emerson
Link to MLBTR on Emerson
Link to Crawford fielding stats
Link to preseason playoff odds
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to team performance vs. projections
Link to Sheehan on the Rays
Link to Sheehan on the Cardinals
Link to Ben on playoff velo
Link to updated PR pickoff data
Link to team positioning runs
Link to MLB.com Walls article

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Ben cursed Shohei Ohtani’s bat by predicting that Ohtani would win the Cy Young award but not the MVP award, whether Bobby Witt Jr. could win his first MVP award this season, the defensive transformation of Luis Arraez, and more, then (33:16) further interrogate what homoerotic celebrations say about baseball culture, discuss the latest ABS challenge mishaps, answer listener emails (54:30) about an ABS double-or-nothing idea, trading challenges for runs, purchasing challenges midgame, an upside of umpire rotation, boosting offense with double-barreled batters, and a baseball equivalent to the Kelce brothers, plus Stat Blasts (1:28:21) about players with the most inning-ending at-bats in a game, swing rates in debut plate appearances, grand-slam merchants, teams with many MVP vote-getters, and picked-off pinch runners.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to preseason predictions episode
Link to Ohtani slump story 1
Link to Ohtani slump story 2
Link to Ohtani slump story 3
Link to Ohtani slump story 4
Link to Ohtani slump story 5
Link to FG WAR leaders
Link to B-Ref WAR leaders
Link to FG post on Arraez
Link to MLB.com on Arraez
Link to FRV leaders
Link to Outsports post 1
Link to Outsports post 2
Link to Outsports post 3
Link to homosociality wiki
Link to Ross memoir
Link to Valentine/Baty incident
Link to Torres challenge denials
Link to Heim play
Link to Ben on accidental challenges
Link to Jake on accidental challenges
Link to Gausman quote
Link to batter challenge leaders
Link to Rumsfeld quote wiki
Link to catcher challenge leaders
Link to team challenge leaders
Link to Clemens on FA $/WAR
Link to Ortiz ump injury
Link to double-barreled BP article 1
Link to double-barreled BP article 2
Link to HUAL segment
Link to ex-athlete pods article 1
Link to ex-athlete pods article 2
Link to Tkachuks pod
Link to Harrisburg vs. Erie game
Link to 1977 Jays-Yanks game
Link to five-inning-ending players
Link to 2003 NL MVP voting
Link to teams with 8+ MVP vote-getters
Link to SABR on WAR and awards
Link to Baumann on WAR and awards
Link to Sam on downballot MVP votes
Link to debut-PA swing rates data
Link to innings 1-3 swing rate
Link to innings 4+ swing rate
Link to grand slams data
Link to listener emails database
Link to highest PR pickoff rates data
Link to Haggerty pickoff game
Link to SABR on PR specialists
Link to Wright on PR specialists 1
Link to Wright on PR specialists 2
Link to Langs Bell fun fact

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the latest lima-bean-related revelations about Tarik Skubal’s elbow surgery, the Giants’ censored synchronized thrust and the history of homoerotic celebrations in baseball, Coby Mayo’s dog’s devotion, the Orioles’ rotation issues (and a Rico Garcia update), Atlanta’s unexpectedly productive DHs, Ben’s invisible baseball neighbor, and Konnor Griffin’s glow-up, plus (1:12:33) a check-in on the hitters and pitchers who’ve over- or underperformed their projections the most through the first quarter of the regular season, and the players who’ve made cases to become new MLB main characters.

Audio intro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Horny)”
Audio outro: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to The Athletic on Skubal’s surgery
Link to Seinfeld squirrel surgery scene
Link to Giants celebration clip
Link to Key & Peele sketch
Link to Baggarly post
Link to Baggarly article
Link to other article on the edict
Link to JHL’s possible smooch attempt
Link to new bow celebration
Link to Gilbert GIF
Link to Vitello thrust
Link to Posey ownership story
Link to Charles B. Johnson wiki
Link to Johnson donations article
Link to Mets outfield imitation
Link to 2022 Mookie celebration
Link to Mookie Twitch stream answer
Link to Mookie Twitch clip
Link to bukkake wiki
Link to Mookie’s Ohtani comment
Link to 2024 Dodgers crotch bump
Link to 2016 Cubs crotch bump
Link to 2014 Mariners celebration post 1
Link to 2014 Mariners celebration post 2
Link to 2019 Rangers crotch grab
Link to Red Sox celebration info
Link to Dodgers memorial announcement
Link to Collins obit
Link to MLBTR on Fried’s elbow
Link to Mayo game story
Link to Mayo quote clip
Link to Mayo quote text
Link to Argos wiki
Link to mid-March team SP projections
Link to team SP WAR to date
Link to Orioles SP stats so far
Link to team hitter WAR
Link to Elias’s Eflin/Rodriguez quote
Link to 2026 Elias SP quote 1
Link to 2026 Elias SP quote 2
Link to 2026 Elias SP quote 3
Link to team defense leaderboard
Link to .000 BABIP streaks
Link to MLB.com on Garcia
Link to Profar DH article
Link to team DH production
Link to team LF production
Link to 2026 Location+ leaders
Link to Link to 2024-26 Location+ leaders
Link to latest Skenes gem
Link to BP on Griffin’s rookie eligibility
Link to Griffin’s early-season sample
Link to Griffin’s second sample
Link to hitter leaderboard since Griffin’s birthday
Link to “quarter pole” definition
Link to preseason hitter projections
Link to preseason pitcher projections
Link to hitter pace leaderboard
Link to pitcher pace leaderboard
Link to hitter over/underperformers
Link to pitcher over/underperformers
Link to Hogg on Miz velo post
Link to Hogg on Miz velo article
Link to Jones on Miz velo
Link to Miz vs. Jones velo fun fact
Link to Crizer on April 2025 main characters
Link to Clemens on Walker
Link to Raleigh shower story
Link to BP on Turang
Link to Blue Jays IP leaders
Link to Orioles shutout gamer
Link to 2475 Podsednik Stat Blast wiki
Link to 1879 Podsednik Stat Blast
Link to 1885 Podsednik follow-up
Link to Podsednik walk-off
Link to corvids wiki
Link to icterids wiki
Link to Vandy video clip
Link to Vandy controversy summary
Link to Vandy-Mizzou gamer

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Spencer Jones facing an overclocked Jacob Misiorowski in Jones’s MLB debut, the distance from the mound to home plate when Ryan Waldschmidt is batting, Gage Workman’s middle name, and Tarik Skubal’s loose lima bean, then discuss the surprising Patrick Bailey trade—including takes on Bailey’s bat and framing value in the ABS era, the leadership of Buster Posey and Tony Vitello, Cleveland doubling down on the Austin Hedges catching model, and the virtues of Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson—plus thoughts on the bouncebacks of Bryce Harper and Michael Conforto, the Pirates’ rotation, iron man Matt Olson, a Craig Kimbrel meltdown, and the death of Bobby Cox.

Audio intro: Garrett Krohn, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)”

Link to “POV” meme
Link to Jones debut
Link to Jones stance tweet
Link to Judge/Jones comparison
Link to first Jones vs. Miz PA
Link to 103 mph+ pitches
Link to fastest pitches of 2026
Link to top SP seasons by K%
Link to “Ballad of a Thin Man”
Link to Miz velo upticks article
Link to Miz Charizard pull
Link to tallest outfield
Link to Ben on big Yankees
Link to Waldschmidt quote
Link to Workman middle name info 1
Link to Workman middle name info 2
Link to “taters” Gollum clip
Link to Boras on the “Skubal scope”
Link to Boras/Olney podcast
Link to last year’s Boras/Skubal quote
Link to FG post on Bailey
Link to Dubuque on Bailey
Link to Baggarly on Bailey/Posey 1
Link to Baggarly on Bailey/Posey 2
Link to Rosenthal on Posey
Link to Bailey’s framing at FG
Link to 2026 FG framing leaders
Link to 2025 FG framing leaders
Link to Savant framing leaders
Link to top players since Bailey’s call-up
Link to top Giants since Bailey’s call-up
Link to top catchers since Bailey’s call-up
Link to Giants dugout pitch-calling article 1
Link to Giants dugout pitch-calling article 2
Link to Bailey wRC+ joke
Link to story about Hedges the hitter
Link to “framemog” at wiktionary
Link to framemogging meme
Link to NPR on framemogging
Link to Vitello quote about effort
Link to Vitello pitching change confusion
Link to Kapler pitching change confusion
Link to La Russa pitching change confusion
Link to Nightengale on the trade deadline
Link to MLBTR on the Giants’ outlook
Link to team run differentials
Link to Conforto wRC+ leaderboard
Link to top team SP by WAR
Link to Pirates SP production
Link to FG MLB WAR leaders
Link to longest consecutive games streaks
Link to Freeman vs. Olson WAR post-2022
Link to worst RP WPAs
Link to Kimbrel loss
Link to Kimbrel grand slam story
Link to Chavez’s Giants origin story
Link to “OTP” explainer
Link to Cox obit
Link to Atlanta championship expectations
Link to Cox research 1
Link to Cox research 2
Link to Cox research 3
Link to manager longevity article
Link to data on ejection causes
Link to CCS ejections posts
Link to 2026 manager ejection count
Link to 2025 manager ejections count
Link to 2024 manager ejections count
Link to manager ejections data over time
Link to 2016 THT article on Cox DV
Link to 1995 THT article on Cox DV
Link to Clevinger report 1
Link to Clevinger report 2
Link to Tigers Triple-A manager firing
Link to Mixtape wiki
Link to “bro explaining” meme
Link to Mixtape baseball quote 1
Link to Mixtape baseball quote 2
Link to Ben’s gaming podcast
Link to article on foul ball increases
Link to 2026 foul ball leaders
Link to 1988 foul ball data

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a report that Tarik Skubal’s surgically cleaned-up elbow contained only a solitary “loose body,” why the NL now has the upper hand over the AL and whether the latter’s lackluster win-loss records matter, Meg’s thrilling, frustrating in-person Paul Skenes spectator experience, Kazuma Okamoto’s move back in the box, and Rico Garcia’s impressive .000 BABIP streak, plus a follow-up on why good framers have struggled at challenging, listener emails (57:54) about making more knuckleballers, a popup that never comes down, retiring not just numbers, but names, rotating umpires within games, extra-inning non-scoring, and “extra bases,” followed by a bunch of postscript updates.

Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Heyman tweet
Link to “Torn and Frayed”
Link to Bodies Bodies Bodies
Link to Rodón quote
Link to Rodón EW discussion
Link to Sheehan on NL vs. AL
Link to team run differential data
Link to 2026 team run differentials
Link to winning records data 1
Link to winning records data 2
Link to AL vs. NL record by year
Link to Skenes start gamer
Link to Skenes TTOP
Link to 1-0 game at Coors
Link to Savantle
Link to Petriello’s Okamoto tweet
Link to Petriello’s Okamoto article
Link to Okamoto quesadilla article
Link to depth in box correlations
Link to .000 BABIP streaks
Link to Garcia profile
Link to fielder support for pitchers
Link to Voros BABIP article
Link to EW Episode 1399
Link to Ben’s article on knuckleballs
Link to Knuckleball Nation website
Link to Knuckleball Nation article
Link to knuckleball total by year
Link to pitcher knuckleball totals
Link to Jannis on EW
Link to Granderson popup clip
Link to Granderson popup post
Link to Orosco glove article 1
Link to Orosco glove article 2
Link to Orosco glove article 3
Link to Prince guitar toss article
Link to Lee6 article 1
Link to Lee6 article 2
Link to Lee6 article 3
Link to Baumann on the Muncys
Link to EW Episode 1700
Link to EW Episode 1715
Link to scoreless zombie-inning streaks
Link to listener emails database
Link to Domínguez injury story
Link to Jones call-up story
Link to Judge/Jones comparison
Link to 2026 TTO% leaders
Link to all-time single-season TTO% leaders
Link to Frazier’s sign-off
Link to Matthews SABR article
Link to Rushing feature
Link to Coaches4Hire LLC photo
Link to Coaches4Hire LLC info
Link to coaches4hire.com
Link to archived Coaches4Hire site
Link to Coaches4Hire Insta

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the late Ted Turner’s explanation for firing Bobby Cox, how MVP-caliber Mike Trout returned and whether a Trout trade is too much to hope for, Carlos Correa’s season-ending injury and the outlook for the Astros, the offseason’s influx of free-agent retreads from NPB and/or the KBO, and a transparent plunking by Framber Valdez, then Stat Blast (1:25:43) about a Pirates scheduling quirk, an unlikely no. 9 batter, hitting-streak outliers, improbable power outages, identical beginnings to innings, and which events get starting pitchers pulled, plus reactions to the surprising starts of Ildemaro Vargas, Fernando Tatis Jr., Patrick Bailey, Austin Hedges, and Adley Rutschman.

Audio intro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Link to actual Turner quote
Link to supposed Turner quote
Link to NYT Turner obit
Link to MLB.com Turner obit
Link to story on Turner the manager
Link to Turner wiki
Link to Cox wiki
Link to Cox pitching impact study 1
Link to Cox pitching impact study 2
Link to Cox study 3
Link to Law on Trout
Link to Olney on Trout
Link to Spy Kids Thumb-Thumbs
Link to Trout’s 2024 trade comments
Link to FG farm rankings
Link to FG on-pace leaderboard
Link to Trout’s Savant page
Link to EW episode 2218
Link to EW episode 2374
Link to Paine on Trout
Link to team OF WAR
Link to 2026 Angels preview
Link to Cobb/Speaker article
Link to Dan S. on Correa
Link to Dan S. on the Astros
Link to BP IL Ledger
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Imai’a latest comments
Link to list of NPB/KBO imports
Link to Weiss demotion
Link to previous retread successes
Link to “joint mice” source 1
Link to “joint mice” source 2
Link to Skubal report
Link to The Witches scene
Link to The Witches retrospective
Link to BP on Framber
Link to Framber pitch usage
Link to Framber article
Link to MLBTR on Framber’s suspension
Link to preview-pod Framber talk
Link to Story HBP
Link to Rafaela HBP
Link to story about Hosmer
Link to Hosmer’s video
Link to Hedges 15-game stretches
Link to article on Hedges’ hitting
Link to Rockies batting orders
Link to Jay on Vargas
Link to Roth on Vargas
Link to Murphy quote about Vargas
Link to hitting-streaks data 1
Link to hitting-streaks data 2
Link to PA before first HR data
Link to mid-inning-hook data
Link to MLBTR on Tatis
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the late John Sterling, fan affection for local broadcasters, and whether any broadcast institutions don’t inspire such attachment, then banter about Anthony Volpe’s demotion, Tarik Skubal’s elbow injury, the Mets’ decision to stand by Carlos Mendoza, dramatically different results in back-to-back Reds-Pirates games, Riley O’Brien’s success, Nick Kurtz, Roy Cullenbine, and prolific walk-drawers with unimpressive power, whether framing and challenging skills are correlated for catchers, and a Baseball Savant-based guessing game, plus follow-ups on Mexico City’s elevation and Dalton Rushing.

Audio intro: Philip Tapley and Michael Stokes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Brussels sprouts EW episode
Link to Sterling obit
Link to previous Sterling discussion
Link to Sterling on FanGraphs
Link to 2011 Sterling profile
Link to Sterling wiki
Link to Kay wiki
Link to Kay on Sterling
Link to Kay diet piece 1
Link to Kay diet piece 2
Link to Kay diet piece 3
Link to Baumann on Volpe
Link to Clemens on Skubal
Link to Passan post
Link to Tatiana Trumpet story
Link to MLB.com on Skubal
Link to CBS Sports on Skubal
Link to Dan S. on managerial firings
Link to Ball on managerial firings
Link to Stearns on Mendoza
Link to Mendoza’s reaction
Link to seven consecutive walks
Link to worst hitters 2023-26
Link to RP WAR leaders
Link to Clemens on O’Brien
Link to Johnny interview
Link to Johnny and Riley
Link to Mexico City sinking story
Link to status quo bias wiki
Link to 2025 run differentials
Link to 2026 run differentials
Link to Cashman comments
Link to Ben on team turnover
Link to Kurtz streak story 1
Link to Kurtz streak story 2
Link to Cullenbine post 1
Link to Cullenbine post 2
Link to Ben on pre-WAR valuations
Link to Roy Thomas SABR bio
Link to foul-strike rule
Link to Max Bishop SABR bio
Link to Eddie Yost SABR bio
Link to Eddie Joost SABR bio
Link to career + stats
Link to team framing leaderboard
Link to catcher challenges leaderboard
Link to batter challenges leaderboard
Link to Tango’s Soto/Bailey tweet
Link to framing/challenging correlations
Link to Ruiz on framing/challenging
Link to Millas on framing/challenging
Link to Petriello on 2025 challenges
Link to player survey on challenges
Link to Rushing on Lee 1
Link to Rushing on Lee 2
Link to Rushing’s timeout call
Link to Rushing’s challenge
Link to Tango on the challenge
Link to Savantle
Link to other Savant guessing games

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, please visit our Patreon.

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing is the new reigning redass of MLB, and the first in-depth he-said, they-said mud-slinging about Craig Breslow and Boston’s coaching cull. Then (35:19) they Stat Blast about the longest streaks of series wins and non-losses to start a season (or at any point in a season), lapping the league in run differential, and batterymates who were previously exchanged in a trade, before bringing on Ben Clemens of FanGraphs (49:36) to talk about whether Munetaka Murakami’s hot start is sustainable (and if so, why he was widely underestimated), how the strike zone has been shrunk and reshaped in the ABS era—somewhat counterintuitively, not just because of overturned calls—and the potential short/long-term effects on scoring.

Audio intro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme 2”

Link to “redass” definition
Link to Carig on “redass”
Link to Rushing timeline
Link to “fishy” comment clip
Link to “fishy” comment article
Link to Rockies celebration
Link to Lee incident clip
Link to Rushing denial
Link to Lee incident article
Link to Amaya incident clip
Link to Hoerner comments
Link to Rushing’s slide
Link to Arraez comments
Link to timeout request
Link to 2015 Williams feature
Link to Breslow/Boston report
Link to fatberg wiki
Link to streaks spreadsheet
Link to Columbus Solons wiki
Link to traded batterymates
Link to Ben’s catchers research
Link to Shackleton wiki
Link to Clemens on Murakami
Link to chase rate leaderboard
Link to Passan on Ohtani in 2018
Link to Passan’s follow-up
Link to Clemens on the strike zone
Link to strike zone definition
Link to Trueblood on the strike zone
Link to Trueblood on challenges
Link to Sam on 3-0 autostrikes
Link to 2025 buffer zone change
Link to ump accuracy over time
Link to Ben on umpire grading
Link to kernel regression wiki
Link to 2024-26 MLB rates
Link to 2025 MLB rates through same date
Link to 2024 MLB rates through same date
Link to highest full-season rates
Link to Federer Hawk-Eye stance 1
Link to Federer Hawk-Eye stance 2

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Vinnie Pasquantino’s new espresso machine, how the Phillies’ firing of Rob Thomson compares to Boston’s coaching overhaul and how Thomson’s dismissal both does and doesn’t make sense, Mason Miller’s “slump,” Shohei Ohtani’s WAR distribution, Max Scherzer’s major league last gasp, Travis Bazzana’s debut, and how the Mexican League’s Diablos Rojos have handled high altitude. Then (55:48) they talk to Jason Benetti, TV voice of the Tigers and new lead MLB broadcaster for Sunday Night Baseball on NBC, about how he got his new gig, juggling jobs and employers, teaming up with different broadcast partners (including a besuited John Kruk) every week, how NBC approaches baseball, the AL Central’s mediocrity, Kevin McGonigle’s precocious success, Jason’s full-circle Bob Costas story, and Mr. Monopoly vs. Mr. Peanut.

Audio intro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to espresso machine post
Link to Nespresso wiki
Link to Baumann on Thomson
Link to MLBTR on Thomson
Link to Paine on Thomson
Link to Phillies’ record under Thomson
Link to batter WAR under Thomson
Link to pitcher WAR under Thomson
Link to team defense
Link to team run differentials
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Gelb on Thomson
Link to Cora report 1
Link to Cora report 2
Link to MLBTR on Crochet
Link to Miller story
Link to Soriano story
Link to combined WAR leaderboard
Link to MLBTR on Scherzer
Link to Scherzer’s daughter’s letter
Link to Baumann on Bazzana
Link to MLBTR on Bazzana
Link to 2026 FG top 100
Link to Bazzana at Prospect Savant
Link to list of debut IBBs
Link to The Devil Wears Prada 2
Link to Patrick Brammall wiki
Link to Song Sung Blue
Link to Tenet dialogue story 1
Link to Tenet dialogue story 2
Link to Nolan dialogue explanation
Link to sound mixing story
Link to MLBTR on Bazzana
Link to Mexican League elevations
Link to Octavio Hernández
Link to Coors hangover article 1
Link to Coors hangover article 2
Link to Coors hangover article 3
Link to Benetti at Saberseminar
Link to SBJ profile
Link to NBC Sundays schedule
Link to this Sunday’s schedule
Link to Jason’s broadcast partners
Link to Walton-Benetti story
Link to Kruk’s suit
Link to Curb “middling” scene
Link to Ben on Albert/Stockton
Link to interdivision records
Link to bat weight research
Link to Mr. Monopoly wiki
Link to Mr. Peanut wiki
Link to Mr. Peanut tweet
Link to Benetti’s podcast

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Red Sox suddenly sweeping their coaching staff clean, projected contenders off to even worse starts than the Sox, MLB offense in Mexico City, a double ball-strike challenge, Kyle Harrison as the new Quinn Priester, and Kevin McGonigle out-phenoming Konnor Griffin, then Stat Blast (38:37) about Brandon Phillips and major league afterlives, teams hitting for the homer cycle in a single inning, and individual net five-homer games. Then (53:38) they talk to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier about how and why the Red Sox fired Alex Cora and Co. and whether there’s more house-cleaning to come.

Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: The Spaghettis, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to FG post on Sox firings
Link to MLBTR on Sox firings
Link to MLBTR on Sox hirings
Link to original Cronin wiki
Link to van photo
Link to Four Seasons Total Landscaping
Link to Whitlock quote
Link to Story quote
Link to player reactions round-up
Link to firing timing Stat Blast
Link to Sportradar firing fact
Link to “Chad” wiki
Link to Cora reactions story
Link to Cora text
Link to Cora tweet
Link to fired coaches photo 1
Link to fired coaches photo 2
Link to Paine’s Sox analysis 1
Link to Paine’s Sox analysis 2
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Diamondbacks Mexico City win
Link to Mexico games
Link to Ben on Mexico City scoring
Link to Monterrey stadium
Link to Mexico City stadium
Link to run-scoring comparison
Link to Vancouver expansion story
Link to double challenge clip
Link to double challenge story
Link to Refsnyder challenge story
Link to Baty challenge story
Link to Harrison’s five-start averages
Link to FG on-pace leaders
Link to Griffin’s first dinger
Link to Phillips contract story
Link to EW on delayed retirements
Link to major league afterlives data
Link to Kenny Jackelen
Link to Phillips B-Ref page
Link to PCL wiki
Link to SIS Cameron story
Link to SIS Cameron post
Link to Red Sox preview pod
Link to team HR leaderboard
Link to team SP WAR
Link to Sheehan on the Sox offense
Link to Napoli photo
Link to Napoli story
Link to team payrolls page
Link to Rosenthal on Cora
Link to team payrolls page
Link to listener meetup tool (PW: EW2026)
Link to meetup tool Reddit post
Link to sub-two-hour-marathon story

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether JR Ritchie should want to keep the ball that was hit for a homer on his first major league pitch, José Soriano’s season-starting hot streak, and the Yankees’ new alternate uniforms, plus follow-ups on accidental challenges, player pecks on the cheek, jersey numbers, and Nolan McLean’s apology, and a mini-Blast about the Rockies’ historically hot start (compared to last year). Then (50:36) they take a break from interviewing octagenarian former players to interview a youthful, quadragenarian former player: former All-Star Brad Lidge. An infamous manager once proclaimed, “The closer is the closer because he’s the closer.” But what if the closer becomes an archaeologist? Ben and Meg talk to Lidge at length about his post-playing pivot to archaeology: what drew him to the field, how he’s pursued a second profession (and how it differs from his first one), ancient Etruscans, misconceptions about archaeology, what he could learn from excavating a ballpark, discovering dice (note: not a gambling ad), discussing his career reinvention at cocktail parties, the pleasures and procedures of communing with the past, archaeology’s moneyball, and much more, followed by his thoughts on fellow fastball-slider artist Mason Miller.

Audio intro: PJ Harding, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to The Only Rule closer line
Link to line’s EW wiki entry
Link to Lidge’s SABR bio
Link to postseason saves leaders
Link to best post-’88 RP seasons
Link to Pujols homer
Link to 2008 WS victory
Link to Episode 2323
Link to Wood’s HR
Link to Ritchie game story
Link to Yankees jerseys report 1
Link to Yankees jerseys report 2
Link to Yankees jerseys report 3
Link to jersey number history
Link to Gilbert “catch”
Link to Gilbert “catch” rules
Link to Vargas “accidental” challenge
Link to Gonzales “accidental” challenge
Link to Martin-Davis smooch
Link to Soriano’s six-start stretches
Link to Soriano’s 2025 stretch
Link to Soriano’s 2026 stretch
Link to exit velo responsibility
Link to Soriano article 1
Link to Betteridge’s law 1
Link to Soriano article 2
Link to follow-up McLean report
Link to fastest team improvements data
Link to 2018 archaeoLidgey article
Link to 2026 archaeoLidgey article
Link to Lidge Explorers Club
Link to Poggio Civitate wiki
Link to Under the Tuscan Sun wiki
Link to Etruscan civilization wiki
Link to Roman Empire meme
Link to Lidge’s publications
Link to Lidge’s dice paper
Link to North American dice article 1
Link to North American dice article 2
Link to Ben on Detectorists

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about vagueposting screenshots of Baseball Savant percentiles, a Ron Darling comment during the Mets’ 12th consecutive loss about why pitchers shouldn’t apologize to batters for throwing inside, team-level changes in pitch usage and results this season, why MLB partly escaped the NBA’s tanking epidemic, why relievers are struggling so far, baseball parallels to track’s quest to produce lighter shoes, and an EW listener meetup tool (password: EW2026), then Stat Blast (1:25:12) about player home run totals that outstripped team win totals, winning streaks built from other teams’ losing streaks, and batting orders with jersey numbers that matched lineup slots, plus (1:39:40) a postscript.

Audio intro: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Horny)”
Audio outro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to vagueposting wiki
Link to Buxton/McLean matchup
Link to pitch before homer
Link to home run pitch
Link to Clemens on McLean
Link to Clemens on hard in, soft away
Link to Ben on the Pirates
Link to Sawchik on the Pirates
Link to THT on the Pirates
Link to Dan S. on the Mets
Link to SNY ritual clip
Link to MLB.com on SNY ritual
Link to Baumann on Lumineers curse
Link to Mr. Met/Lumineers post
Link to NYT on Mamdani curse
Link to Rosenberg Mr. Met story
Link to team pitching changes
Link to 2025 team FA%
Link to 2026 team FA%
Link to Senzatela pitch usage
Link to pitch-type usage by year
Link to 2025 team Stuff+
Link to 2026 team Stuff+
Link to 2025 team contact%
Link to 2026 team contact%
Link to 2025 team pitching WAR
Link to 2026 team pitching WAR
Link to Sportico on NBA tanking
Link to Gold Plan wiki
Link to Gilbert “catch”
Link to MLB.com on Legumina
Link to MLBTR on Legumina
Link to MLB SP stats
Link to MLB RP stats
Link to WSJ running shoes article
Link to Ben on MLB player improvements
Link to Cooper on fastball speed
Link to fastball speed joke graphic
Link to listener meetup tool (PW: EW2026)
Link to meetup tool Reddit post
Link to HR>wins spreadsheet
Link to losing streaks spreadsheet
Link to jersey=lineup slot data
Link to Kenny Jackelen
Link to listener emails database
Link to streak-snapping Mets gamer
Link to 1914 Federal League game
Link to 1991 Pirates-Cubs game
Link to 2011 Dodgers-Diamondbacks game
Link to 1952 Dodgers-Braves game
Link to 2017 Yankees-Rays game
Link to 1928 Cleveland-Detroit game
Link to 1923 Dodgers-Cardinals game
Link to 1934 Cardinals-Reds game
Link to 2004 Rangers-Tigers game
Link to 2019 Diamondbacks-Brewers game
Link to EW Episode 2405
Link to Nimmo/Semien comparison
Link to Murakami homers fun fact
Link to Clemens on Murakami
Link to Kruk in a suit
Link to Farley’s Matt Foley skit
Link to Farley’s Kruk skit
Link to Weaver post

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Scott Boras talking turkey, a heartwarming player-fan interaction, two more unintentional challenges, the depths of the Mets’ predicament after their 11-game losing streak, whether Munetaka Murakami can keep up his hot, extreme start, whether hitters should stop swinging against Mason Miller, whether government regulation can improve sports streaming, and the nature of on-base streaks, then Stat Blast (1:32:34) about NL and AL Central standings oddities, the longest periods out of first place, and scoring coming all in one inning, plus (1:44:34) several follow-ups and bonus blasts.

Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Boras quote
Link to Geese controversy
Link to brother-sister embrace
Link to Mangum comments
Link to Lorenzen clip
Link to Lorenzen quote
Link to accidental challenge story
Link to Mets streak story
Link to MLB.com on the Mets
Link to Perry on the Mets
Link to Sheehan on the Mets
Link to Szymborski on slow starters
Link to Ben on high-turnover teams
Link to team run differentials
Link to preseason playoff odds
Link to updated playoff odds
Link to “Kokomo” curse story
Link to “Kokomo” wiki
Link to “Kokomo” video
Link to Spanish-language “Kokomo”
Link to Mets borough mascots
Link to Peraza pitch image
Link to Peraza pitch clip
Link to swing/zone rate data
Link to Miller’s stats as a Padre
Link to Miller’s Stuff+ stats
Link to Murakami’s grand slam
Link to Murakami’s Savant page
Link to Longenhagen on Murakami
Link to Baumann on Murakami
Link to Murakami projections story
Link to PECOTA hitter projections
Link to NPB analyst on Murakami
Link to Kruk in a suit
Link to Farley skit
Link to Bloomberg on NFL streaming
Link to Bloomberg on MLB streaming
Link to story on Baldwin’s bill
Link to Live Nation verdict story
Link to story on Ohtani’s on-base streak
Link to times on base wiki
Link to info on DiMaggio streak scoring
Link to upside-down NL Central
Link to previous upside-down standings
Link to 4/11 AL Central
Link to 2006 NL West
Link to 2011 AL West
Link to 2022 AL East
Link to Orioles-Guardians game
Link to 2003 Phillies-Reds game
Link to 1972 Braves-Astros game
Link to 1933 Yankees-A’s game
Link to 1928 Pirates-Giants game
Link to new Rockies celebration story
Link to Rushing’s “fishy” comments
Link to Rockies celebration images
Link to Rockies celebration clips
Link to Cronenworth HBP story
Link to listener emails database
Link to new switch-hitters data
Link to name matches spreadsheet
Link to Takatsu on Murakami
Link to “Does Bat Day Make Cents?”
Link to other promotions/giveaways info

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about another accidental challenge and listener-suggested alternatives to the head/helmet tap, the implications of the Padres’ reported sale for a record price, Mike Trout’s resurgence and Jordan Walker’s surge, a Stat Blast about one-man lineups, stoic responses to getting drilled by line drives, loud stadium noise, listener emails about extensions and the next CBA, tuning in to no-hitter attempts in progress, and “anti-framing,” and more.

Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to latest challenge
Link to other review signals
Link to soccer review signal
Link to cricket review signal
Link to skeuomorph wiki
Link to HPB/CI challenge sequence
Link to WSJ Padres sale story
Link to ESPN Padres sale story
Link to S&P info 1
Link to S&P info 2
Link to S&P info 3
Link to Chelsea protest story
Link to Chelsea money loss story
Link to Trout series fun facts
Link to Trout six-game streaks
Link to Trout four-game streaks
Link to Trout’s Savant page
Link to Trout hypotheticals
Link to Trout’s five homers
Link to Walker analysis
Link to FG WAR leaders
Link to Mets-Dodgers game
Link to Jay on the Mets
Link to Stat Blast spreadsheet
Link to 1969 Williams game
Link to 1991 Boston game
Link to 1950 Vollmer game
Link to 1978 Expos game
Link to Freeland vs. Myers hit
Link to Ben on sick players
Link to sick Sale start
Link to Greene game
Link to Greene game article
Link to 2025 stadium noise article
Link to 2026 stadium noise article
Link to Collins HoF induction article
Link to Messick article
Link to “anti-framing” article
Link to “anti-framing” clip
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Kevin McGonigle’s new contract and whether pre-arbitration extensions are still team-friendly, Tatsuya Imai’s adjustment period, MLB’s average four-seam fastball velo nearing 95 mph, a new frontier in catcher’s interference calls, and whether a new challenge signal should replace the head/helmet tap, then (1:21:02) Stat Blast about a historic scoring day, games in which the score most often matched the inning, homering against all other teams while playing for one team (and the most homers without going deep twice against the same team), opposing pitchers catching pop-ups in the same game, driving in oneself and no one else, and season-starting streaks of games with a lead.

Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to MLBTR on McGonigle
Link to Paine on extensions 1
Link to Paine on extensions 2
Link to Ball on extensions
Link to Nightengale on extensions
Link to Rome on Imai
Link to Imai synopsis
Link to Rome on interpreters
Link to story on Duran incident
Link to Statcast velo by year
Link to Pitch Info velo by year
Link to Pitch Info info
Link to righty Statcast velo by year
Link to all-pitches velo by year
Link to Woodrum on velo
Link to Sam on flames
Link to EW on flames 1
Link to EW on flames 2
Link to Trueblood on fastball counts
Link to EW on CI
Link to 2024 CI totals
Link to 2025 CI totals
Link to Sam on the Meidroth CI
Link to Sam on the Cubs CI attempt
Link to Sam on swings and the CI
Link to Ohtani accidental challenge
Link to Chandler accidental challenge
Link to Rice accidental challenge
Link to 2025 Lee incident
Link to challenge rules
Link to volleyball challenge rules
Link to NHL officials wiki
Link to Crawford rehab update
Link to April 13 scores
Link to April 13 offense
Link to MLB batting stats pre-4/13
Link to MLB batting stats post-4/13
Link to Trout-Judge gamer
Link to score matching inning info
Link to homers vs. teams spreadsheet
Link to homers vs. distinct teams data
Link to pitcher pop-ups spreadsheet
Link to O’Neill’s OD HR streak
Link to team leads spreadsheet
Link to Sam on win expectancy
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Mariners actually sort of sacrificing Humpy, the historically compressed standings at the start of the season, top prospects (and veteran relievers) pushing for promotions, the solution to a Kutter Crawford mystery, a faux-froyo con, Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s rules confusion, Cade Winquest’s quest, and more. Then (57:18) they talk to Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick about Jackie Robinson Day, the importance of telling stories about Black baseball in an anti-diversity climate, Bob’s work on MLB The Show, the MLB pipeline for African American players, showcasing the surviving Negro Leagues ballparks, the NLBM’s expansion plans, baseball in Kansas City, Ichiro Suzuki’s visits to the Museum, and more.

Audio intro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to “Jack Robinson” idiom
Link to Humpy clip
Link to Humpy plushy
Link to MLBTR on Imai
Link to standings data
Link to leaguewide offensive stats
Link to baseball drag graph
Link to previous Crawford banter
Link to 2025 Crawford story
Link to new Crawford scoop
Link to “hose” baseball slang
Link to FG top prospects
Link to Parker collision story
Link to froyo feature
Link to Jazz story
Link to Jazz clip
Link to Jazz play
Link to Boone story
Link to Kobayashi Maru wiki
Link to Brebbia post
Link to MLBTR on Kimbrel
Link to Yankees/Mets losses stat
Link to Emanski drills video
Link to frequency illusion wiki
Link to MLBTR on Winquest
Link to phantom ballplayer wiki
Link to Jackie Robinson Day wiki
Link to Robinson story removal
Link to MLB “diversity” story
Link to new MLB The Show mode
Link to MLB at Rickwood Field wiki
Link to surviving ballparks story
Link to East-West Classic news
Link to % of Black players data
Link to NLBM expansion page
Link to sportswriters/Marriott story
Link to Chiefs stadium story
Link to Royals stadium story
Link to John Donaldson EW episode
Link to donate to the NLBM
Link to Swanson quote
Link to Episode 305 wiki
Link to Lorenzen note
Link to MLBTR on Pham

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the bad omen of a broken bat on an Ichiro Suzuki statue, whether Mason Miller is, at this moment, the best pitcher ever on a batter-per-batter basis, and how to label atypical pitches, then Stat Blast (30:00) about team promotional giveaways, age and debut gaps among MLB brothers, and switch-hitters who hit higher in the lineup from one side. Then (47:58) Ben talks to 88-year-old All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher Dolly “Lippy” Vanderlip about growing up as the lone girl in games against boys, joining the AAGPBL at age 15, playing for manager Jimmie Foxx, life on and off the field, the end of the league, how A League of Their Own revitalized interest in the AAGPBL, the impending launch of the Women’s Pro Baseball League, and more.

Audio intro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to broken statue video
Link to broken statue image
Link to Mariners joke tweet
Link to statue being fixed
Link to statue story summary
Link to Mariners wRC+ ranking
Link to three arms episode
Link to Wicker Man post
Link to highest K% for RP
Link to lowest FIP for RP
Link to Miller pitch-type splits
Link to Miller’s stats as a Padre
Link to Sheehan on Miller
Link to Padres-Rockies game story
Link to MLB SP stats
Link to MLB RP stats
Link to team RP stats
Link to Crizer on Imai
Link to MLB.com on Imai
Link to MLBN on Imai
Link to Imai’s Savant arsenal
Link to shuuto wiki
Link to 2025 promotions data
Link to team giveaway rates
Link to Sox giveaway expansion
Link to MLB brothers data
Link to Ben on Guerrero birthdates
Link to Art Fowler SABR bio
Link to switch-hitters info
Link to switch-hitters data
Link to “Hello, Dolly!” wiki
Link to Dolly’s wiki
Link to Dolly’s AAGPBL player page
Link to AAGPBL wiki
Link to WPBL wiki
Link to AAGPBL queer history
Link to Blair article 1
Link to Blair article 2
Link to Ball on extensions
Link to Paine on extensions 1
Link to Paine on extensions 2
Link to First Pitch site
Link to Grounds Crew Baseball site
Link to Mariners Stathead

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Jorge Soler charging the mound against Reynaldo López and whether a team could dupe an opposing ace into getting ejected, Konnor Griffin’s extension becoming official, whether Jose Altuve is benefiting from the reshaped strike zone, a wave of MLB injuries, teams whose playoff odds have changed the most in the first two weeks of the season, Tony Vitello’s PR performance, the debut of brimless hats, a few follow-ups, and more.

Audio intro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Cease vs. Ohtani game
Link to brawl story
Link to suspensions story
Link to Soler vs. López stats
Link to Bois database
Link to Bois spreadsheet
Link to “aggro” wiki
Link to Armadillidiidae wiki
Link to Dan S. on Griffin
Link to MLBTR on Griffin
Link to Olney’s deleted tweet
Link to Rosenthal on Griffin
Link to marriage/divorce stats
Link to Woodrum on the strike zone
Link to Seidler on Altuve
Link to wRC+ leaderboard
Link to batter challenges leaderboard
Link to Altuve called-strike rate
Link to Judge called-strike rate
Link to Altuve mistake-strike rate
Link to Judge mistake-strike rate
Link to five-year out-of-zone-strike rate
Link to five-year in-zone-ball rate
Link to Petriello on height 1
Link to Petriello on height 2
Link to banging-scheme player data
Link to report on Altuve’s sign-stealing
Link to FG post on recent injuries
Link to Dan S. on slow starts
Link to demure/mindful meme
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Red Sox panic
Link to Breslow quote
Link to Ben on ex-player GMs
Link to most consecutive one-run losses
Link to Ben on dugout game-calling
Link to Vitello article 1
Link to Vitello article 2
Link to Vitello article 3
Link to Vitello article 4
Link to Vitello article 5
Link to Chapman/Schmitt clip
Link to Alcantara/McCullough story
Link to Rockies start story
Link to Sheehan on Caissie
Link to Walker’s hot start
Link to new City Connects
Link to White Sox giveaway hat
Link to mitre wiki
Link to Baumann post
Link to Rangers statue post
Link to Jake hat photo
Link to Jordan hat photo
Link to “Yankee with no brim” clip
Link to 2025 Jensen article
Link to new Jensen celly
Link to Jensen celly video
Link to May sunglasses clip
Link to Igawa post
Link to “sled dog” post
Link to Jackson photo 1
Link to Jackson photo 2
Link to 2025 Jackson HR
Link to MLBTR on Davitt
Link to Davitt on EW
Link to date blast image 1
Link to date blast image 2
Link to date blast image 3
Link to date blast image 4

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Carter Jensen’s several (inadequate) alarms and why big leaguers don’t oversleep more often, Artemis II, Daniel Susac as the sequel to Andrew Susac, the timing of Konnor Griffin’s call-up, the many ways to marvel at (and value) Jo Adell’s home-run-robbery spree, Patrick Corbin the Blue Jay, a quintessentially 2026 half-inning, and follow-up emails, plus (1:40:47) a postscript featuring an Afterball by Ben about national announcer stats.

Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Sean .P, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to “It’s Been Awhile”
Link to Jensen oversleeping story
Link to Pasquantino quote
Link to Jensen TikTok clip
Link to Russell on young baseball brains
Link to overview effect wiki
Link to Yankees/Marlins Artemis story
Link to Artemis wholesomeness
Link to Apollo and baseball story
Link to Susac’s nephew
Link to Baumann on Griffin
Link to MLBTR on Griffin
Link to Olney’s deleted tweet
Link to info on extensions and PPI
Link to Adell catch 1
Link to Adell catch 2
Link to Adell catch 3
Link to 2026 OF FRV laggardboard
Link to Adell’s DRS
Link to SIS on HR robberies
Link to Ben on HR robberies
Link to Ben on Trout’s 2011
Link to Ben on pre-WAR valuations
Link to Adell’s 2020 FARTBAT
Link to FARTBAT naming
Link to Angels-M’s box score
Link to FG post on Adell
Link to win probability tweet
Link to Tango on wall balls
Link to Tango on catch probability
Link to Adell photo
Link to article about Adell catch
Link to Trout’s Twitter reply
Link to Hunter on Adell
Link to “wallowing” wiki
Link to MLBTR on Corbin
Link to Jays SP projections
Link to Jays RR depth chart
Link to BP on Corbin
Link to BP on ATL-AZ inning
Link to Albies challenge
Link to 2016 Young quotes
Link to Grifol on the eclipse
Link to Theo “trade”
Link to Stokes-Lyon match
Link to Snicko wiki
Link to EW Episode 1875
Link to Calcaterra on Dirks
Link to Dirks Pull%
Link to Dirks HR spray chart
Link to HUAL episode
Link to USR broadcast database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about rookie batters’ blistering start to the season, then Stat Blast (10:15) about how long it typically takes for there to be no remaining teams that are winless or undefeated (or both), the latest a team won or lost by a margin that matched its record, and the seasons that featured the most Hall of Famers (at all, and in their primes). Then they talk to three listeners who created brand-new apps/sites that enhance the experience of following the season: Tristan Rodman of Baseball Scores (28:00), Zach Gines of First Pitch (46:45), and Ezra Thompson of Play-O-Graph (1:09:30), followed by assorted updates (1:26:58).

Audio intro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to freemium model announcement
Link to written explanation
Link to checksum explainer
Link to seasonal rookie batting lines
Link to 2026 rookie batting line
Link to 2026 rookie pitching line
Link to Baumann on Painter
Link to Kepner on the rookies
Link to aging curve research 1
Link to aging curve research 2
Link to Ben on 2015 rookies
Link to Ben on 2015 youth
Link to Fernandez debut game
Link to two-homer-debuts query
Link to winless/undefeated teams data
Link to 1894 game
Link to 1911 game
Link to 1986 game
Link to 1993 game
Link to 1996 game
Link to 2000 game 1
Link to 2000 game 2
Link to HoFers data
Link to HoFers graph
Link to Frisch VC info
Link to listener emails database
Link to Baseball Scores site
Link to Tristan’s site
Link to The Gagnés theme 1
Link to The Gagnés theme 2
Link to @dril tweet
Link to Angell quote
Link to First Pitch site
Link to NERD scores
Link to B-Ref Stream Finder
Link to Skubal-Gallen gamer
Link to Play-O-Graph site
Link to playograph wiki
Link to FotMob
Link to Moneyball clip
Link to Grounds Crew Baseball site
Link to The Number Wall site
Link to “meme” origins
Link to Yates press conference
Link to Orioles tap-off
Link to Crawford walk-off story
Link to pre-Artemis II batted balls
Link to Artemis II launch story
Link to xkcd comic
Link to Bucknor play story
Link to Bucknor play video
Link to Bucknor injury story
Link to Ben on forgotten counts
Link to Bois on forgotten counts
Link to Retrosheet forgotten counts
Link to video of Smith PA
Link to Smith PA on Gameday
Link to Alvarez PA on Gameday
Link to Chris’s Reddit post

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Joey Wiemer, Colt Emerson’s contract, the concept of “sticking at shortstop,” and pre-arbitration (and pre-debut) extension trends, then (29:11) answer listener emails about A.J. Preller trading himself, Harrison Bader and the press conference threshold, plotting to prevent a switch-hitter from batting from both sides, no-selling a World Series ring ceremony, giveaway promotions at every game, a Craig Kimbrel PitchCom hypothesis, the top five MLB owners, pitch-count limits in a World Series perfect game bid, technical fouls in baseball, the aesthetic appeal of platooning, and lifetime .500 franchises.

Audio intro: Garrett Krohn, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Baumann on Wiemer
Link to MLB.com on Wiemer
Link to FG combined WAR leaderboard
Link to “small sample” song
Link to Voros’ Law
Link to “WDJDD?” (short)
Link to “WDJDD?” (long)
Link to MLBTR on Emerson
Link to Nichols’ Law of Catcher Defense
Link to Passan tweet about Emerson
Link to FG post on Pratt
Link to Sam on extensions
Link to Bader story
Link to Seinfeld “sponge-worthy” clips
Link to Kiri on promotions
Link to “Things Fitting Perfectly Into Other Things”
Link to Meg on the baseball penalty box
Link to Diamondbacks bullpen story
Link to “Maddux” stat
Link to Ben on ex-player execs
Link to franchise W-L records
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Mike Trout’s hot start, Dub Gleed’s (nick)name, the challenge system as a mainstream sensation, several tactical considerations, listener emails, premature conclusions, and pedantic points after a weekend’s worth of ABS action, Munetaka Murakami’s early slugging, a Brewers call-up and extension, NBC’s broadcast crews, and more, plus a few follow-ups.

Audio intro: Philip Tapley and Michael Stokes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to the other ABS
Link to Gleed trade story
Link to challenge system tweet 1
Link to challenge system tweet 2
Link to Ben on the challenge system
Link to Sam on the challenge system
Link to UmpScorecards data
Link to Rosenthal on the challenge system
Link to Passan on the challenge system
Link to ABS system wiki
Link to FG community blog
Link to Petriello on 2025 ABS data
Link to team ABS leaderboard
Link to ABS dashboard
Link to ABS player leaderboard
Link to Crizer on the challenge system
Link to debutant dingers query
Link to 2026 debutant dingers
Link to Murakami NPB analysis
Link to Murakami fun fact
Link to Reds Opening Days story
Link to Shelton ejection clip
Link to Bucknor story
Link to Bucknor challenges
Link to Bucknor scorecard
Link to Bucknor story
Link to Cora ejection
Link to ABS and manager ejections info 1
Link to ABS and manager ejections info 2
Link to ABS and manager ejections info 3
Link to Quero call-up info
Link to MLBTR on Pratt
Link to FG Brewers list
Link to Sam on check swings
Link to AP on Benetti
Link to MLBTR on Pratt
Link to listener emails database
Link to “burn the ships” wiki
Link to article about Syracuse team

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, please visit our Patreon.

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the pleasures of and precedents for the historic rookie performances on Opening Day, the pains of Netflix’s Opening Night broadcast, an Opening Day disaster for Paul Skenes, Oneil Cruz, and a bird near Carson Benge, Freddie Freeman’s gameday fit, a perplexing (un?)fun fact about the Phillies and Jhoan Duran, why players don’t always challenge when they “should,” Nico Hoerner and Shane Baz extensions, baseball movies being back (thanks to Tom Hanks), and more, plus a Stat Blast (1:28:40) about Black Ink streaks and a postscript (1:37:14) featuring a follow-up and a few bonus Blasts.

Audio intro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to freemium model announcement
Link to written explanation
Link to 2026 new debuts
Link to RE24 query
Link to 2026 RE24 players
Link to 1914 RE24 players
Link to 1938 RE24 players
Link to 1950 RE24 players
Link to RE24 glossary
Link to B-Ref RE24 leaders
Link to total bases query
Link to 2026 TB players
Link to 1938 TB players
Link to 1.000 OPS query
Link to 2026 1.000 OPS players
Link to 1901 1.000 OPS players
Link to 1938 1.000 OPS players
Link to Dick Crutcher bio
Link to Baumann on the rookies
Link to “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon”
Link to first White Sox game
Link to Marchand on the Netflix game
Link to Bonds story
Link to Bonds at Rickwood game
Link to 180-degree rule
Link to FG post on Skenes
Link to Ben on the Pirates and A’s
Link to Pirates HR celebration
Link to Benge on the bird
Link to Freeman post 1
Link to Freeman post 2
Link to Stark post
Link to Sam post
Link to Phillies home closers query
Link to Phillies road closers query
Link to Phillies OD home games
Link to Phillies OD road games
Link to home OD saves by team
Link to Kruk comment
Link to Tango on location uncertainty
Link to Petriello on catcher challenges
Link to Ben’s catcher research
Link to MLBTR on Hoerner
Link to MLBTR on Baz
Link to upcoming FA class
Link to Hanks movie announcement
Link to Hanks typewriter collection
Link to Night Swim wiki
Link to Caught Stealing wiki
Link to Eephus EW interview
Link to Ben on Rogue One and Andor
Link to Black Ink info
Link to Black Ink data 1
Link to Black Ink data 2
Link to Ben on Trout’s Black Ink
Link to blowout 1
Link to blowout 2
Link to blowout 3
Link to blowout 4
Link to blowout 5
Link to blowout 6
Link to blowout 7
Link to blowout 8
Link to Vinay’s data
Link to 1930 game
Link to Sam on record talent
Link to Davy on Mets basestealing
Link to Newsday on Mets basestealing
Link to story on Richardson and Riley
Link to listener emails database

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 Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com
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