Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley pay tribute (for the umpteenth time) to the great Roger Angell, who died at 101 on Friday, then banter about which underperforming hitters are most in need of the kind of breakout game that slow-starting Trevor Story had this week. After that (21:41), they bring on listener and top-tier Patreon supporter Aaron Hartman to discuss his Effectively Wild, baseball, and betting origin stories, answer listener emails about umpire punch-out calls in the robo-umps era, quantifying clutchness at lower levels, and the most tortured fan bases in MLB, then (1:00:09) do a “How can you not be pedantic about baseball?” segment on ground-rule doubles, the infield “corners,” “scoreless” games, postseason stats, and walk-offs, and Stat Blast (1:26:10) about Mike Clevinger and pitchers facing players they were traded for, the longest strings of identical plate appearances for back-to-back batters, and the pitchers most helped or hurt by their bullpen support.
Audio intro: Neil Young, “Roger and Out” Audio outro: Band of Horses, “Heartbreak on the 101”
Link to New Yorker Angell obit Link to NYT Angell obit Link to Angell SABR bio Link to Tom Verducci Angell profile Link to EW episode on Angell’s centennial Link to centennial episode transcript Link to Angell book interview episode Link to Angell mentions on the EW wiki Link to Patrick Dubuque on Story Link to MLB.com on Story Link to Robert Orr on Semien Link to MLB.com on Gorman and Liberatore Link to news about the Cardinals’ callups Link to BP on Gorman Link to BP on Liberatore Link to article on debut dates for HoFers Link to ground-rule double info Link to MLB ground rules Link to William Safire on walk-offs Link to etymology of walk-off homers Link to 2021 MLB walk-off montage Link to EW email questions database Link to Stathead Link to player pairs with same 4 on-base events Link to Duck Soup mirror scene Link to rate of multi-player trades by decade Link to Ben on pitchers vs. ex-catchers Link to Stat Blast data on inherited runners Link to Aaron’s Instagram Link to Ryan Nelson’s Twitter Link to article on trendiest names Link to baby-name comparison tool
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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the rabidity of opossums and Eugenio Suárez‘s keepie-uppie skills, then discuss the White Sox offense and Tony La Russa’s rationale for batting Andrew Vaughn ninth, Max Scherzer’s oblique injury, and the possibility of a Juan Soto trade, before meeting major leaguers (53:30) Logan Gillaspie (Orioles) and Brandon Hughes (Cubs), and Stat Blasting (1:06:26) about the rapid Tyler/Taylor takeover of MLB player names.
Audio intro: We Are Scientists, “I Don’t Bite” Audio outro: Kiwi Jr., “Tyler”
Link to the Human Society on opossums Link to Wildlife Habitat Council on opossums Link to Opossum Society FAQ Link to press-box opossum pic Link to story about press-box opossum Link to possum vs. opossum definitions Link to Reddit thread on Suárez Link to La Russa comment on Vaughn Link to Tango’s response Link to Ben on batting pitchers eighth Link to Jeremy Frank on Garcia Link to Frank on Garcia again Link to Scherzer news Link to deGrom update Link to Olney on Soto Link to report on Soto extension offer Link to Mark Feinsand on trade candidates Link to video of Gillaspie’s debut Link to MASN on Gillaspie’s debut Link to Camden Chat on Gillaspie Link to 2018 Gillaspie signing story Link to FB group thread on Gillaspie Link to Ben on the Salina Stockade Link to The Only Rule Is it Has to Work Link to story on Hughes’s debut Link to video of Hughes’s debut Link to Hughes fun fact Link to Longenhagen on Hughes Link to Tyler Holton story Link to Stat Blast data on player names Link to SSA baby names site Link to The Bob Emergency, Part 1 Link to The Bob Emergency, Part II Link to Tyler Kepner on Tylers Link to Stathead on worst second-half tOPS+ Link to Stathead on second-half ERA rises Link to 1995 article on Green, P. 1 Link to 1995 article on Green, P. 2
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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about two of the worst defensive plays of the season, which came courtesy of the Tigers and Nationals, Albert Pujols pitching and walking, the Pirates winning without a hit (but with one correct prediction), and the breakout of Taylor Ward; answer listener emails about banning gray uniforms, baseball jugglers, listing pitchers’ batting handedness in the universal-DH era, vetoing shifts and pitching changes, and catchers squatting too close to hitters; then Stat Blast (1:08:55) about the most consecutive trades made by one team, the best one-day home and road records, and the most back-to-back homers in a season by teams and players, before reflecting on how the (o)possums in the press box in Oakland may get along with their feral-cat neighbors (plus a few postscript updates).
Audio intro: The Society of Rockets, “Error Era” Audio outro: Chip Taylor, “The Possum Hunter”
Link to video of Twins-Tigers play Link to video of Nats-Marlins play Link to WaPo on the Nats’ defense Link to team Defensive Efficiency Link to Tigers’ dropped popup Link to Nationals’ botched rundown Link to xWOBA leaderboard Link to Sam Blum on Ward Link to Dan Szymborski on Ward Link to Tyler Kepner on Tylers Link to Jay Jaffe on the hitless win Link to García’s prediction Link to story on VanMeter’s prediction Link to tweet about VanMeter’s prediction Link to story about Pujols and Gonzalez Link to Sam on Pujols not walking Link to Allen juggling on SI cover Link to video of Peña juggling Link to video of Guillorme juggling Link to video of Dietrich juggling Link to other video of Dietrich juggling Link to article about Olympic juggling Link to Jeff on catcher’s interference rates Link to EW email questions database Link to Stathead Link to Stat Blast data on back-to-back HR Link to MLBTR on Ford trades Link to story about Schwarber as bench coach Link to tweet about Wilson as coach Link to press-box possum pic Link to Opossum Society FAQ Link to possum vs. opossum definitions Link to tweet about Morel’s called shot Link to video of Nats’ latest misplay(s)
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a wave of baseball ads for cryptocurrencies and NFTs coinciding with crashes in the crypto and NFT markets, injuries to Bryce Harper and Clayton Kershaw, the dominance of the Dodgers, Yankees, and (especially of late) Astros, the early NL West race, Robinson Canó getting a job as Jarred Kelenic loses one, the Mariners’ player development and the franchise’s future, the managerial line of succession and an unlikely player-manager scenario, and Devin Williams and the limits of effective wildness, plus three “How can you not be pedantic about baseball?” terminology questions about describing scoring and strikeouts and recalling players, and a few closing followups.
Audio intro: Joan Armatrading, “Down to Zero” Audio outro: The Byrds, “Take a Whiff on Me”
Link to story about crypto sell-off Link to story about crypto/NFT crash Link to more on the crypto/NFT crash Link to luna crash explainer Link to Nationals tweet Link to Ad Age story about Nats tweet Link to Marlins NFT press release Link to MLB/MLBPA NFT press release Link to MLB’s Gehrig NFT Link to Ohtani crypto press release Link to Harper injury news Link to Kershaw injury news Link to fun fact about Astros Link to Jay Jaffe on Yankees homers Link to BaseRuns records/run differential Link to Jay on the Canó signing Link to Kelenic news Link to Mariners prospect list Link to EW email questions database Link to effectively wild pitchers spreadsheet Link to 2018 story about emergency goalie Link to 2018 episode about emergency goalie Link to FanGraphs on emergency catcher rules Link to SI on emergency catcher rules Link to Ohtani prankster story
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about which is more impressive, Reid Detmers throwing a two-strikeout no-hitter or right-handed hitter Anthony Rendon homering from the left side against a position-player pitcher, recount (11:50) the surprisingly long, largely forgotten history of the 20-seconds-between-pitches rule and the pitch clock in pro ball and the big leagues, and assess whether the upcoming introduction of the pitch clock to MLB will work better than a short-lived attempt in 1969, then Stat Blast (58:12) about the hitters and pitchers who performed best against future Hall of Famers, and (1:21:42) cold call 96-year-old Yankees/Athletics legend Bobby Shantz to discuss his incredible life and career.
Audio intro: Genesis, “Counting Out Time” Audio outro: ABBA, “Me and Bobby and Bobby’s Brother”
Link to article on Detmers and strikeouts Link to stats on CGs with fewer than 3 Ks Link to MLB.com article on Rendon Link to Ben Clemens on Rendon and Detmers Link to Manfred’s pitch clock comments Link to John Thorn on speeding up play Link to doc with collected pitch clock sources Link to average pace by season Link to SI on Charlie Finley’s clock Link to Ben on Bill Veeck Link to The Hustler’s Handbook Link to The Hustler’s Handbook excerpt 1 Link to The Hustler’s Handbook excerpt 2 Link to 1975 story on Veeck’s Pitchometer Link to Ben on pace and defense Link to Orioles program page Link to Stathead Link to Stat Blast vs. HoFers data Link to Rob Arthur on pitchers vs. hitters Link to Mike Fast on pitchers vs. hitters Link to Jim Albert on pitchers vs. hitters Link to Cyril Morong on pitchers vs. hitters Link to list of oldest living players Link to Shantz’s SABR bio Link to John Hiller EW episode Link to Shantz vs. HoFers data Link to MLB-average heights by year Link to Stathead short-pitchers leaderboard Link to Stathead light-pitchers leaderboard Link to Stathead P/CF games Link to 1957 WS G2 broadcast Link to 1960 WS G7 video Link to Colt 45s opener video Link to Shantz stem-cell-treatment video Link to SABRCast Kaat episode Link to MLB.com story on Kaat and Shantz Link to pics of Shantz on Shantz Day Link to more pics of Shantz on Shantz Day Link to even more pics of Shantz on Shantz Day Link to photo of Shantz and Bender Link to story on Shantz’s CF appearance Link to SABR on Shantz’s no-hit relief game Link to 14-inning-game article Link to info on estimated pitch counts Link to Shantz vs. Maxwell results Link to Stathead pitcher-hitting leaders Link to article about Shantz and Dykes Link to retrospective on Shantz’s career Link to info on Shantz-Gibson almost-trade Link to list of EW cold call episodes
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Josh Naylor’s record eight RBI after the eighth inning and the hot-hitting Guardians, José Ramírez taking a hometown discount to stay in Cleveland, Rangers manager Chris Woodward’s seemingly misinterpreted joke about Yankee Stadium, the perils of interpreting text-only quotes, Mets hitting coach Eric Chávez’s theory about MLB selectively juicing the ball, another way in which life is getting harder for hitters, Josh VanMeter’s nightmare inning as an emergency catcher for the Pirates, and Rays pitcher Calvin Faucher’s rude welcome in the majors, plus a Stat Blast (1:14:26) about Sean Hjelle, Tyler Rogers, and the greatest disparities in consecutive pitchers’ release points, a note about a Bill Veeck plan to sign a “giant” hitter, and a few followups.
Audio intro: The Pooh Sticks, “Jelly on a Plate” Audio outro: The Mother Hips, “Emergency Exit”
Link to Naylor highlights video Link to story on Ramírez’s contract Link to Ben Clemens on Ramírez’s extension Link to Dan Szymborski on the Albies extension Link to Craig Edwards on the Albies extension Link to Sheryl Ring on the Albies extension Link to RosterResource payroll page Link to video of Torres’s homer Link to video of White’s homer Link to video of Woodward’s comment Link to Levi on Woodward’s comment Link to video of Boone’s response Link to Yankees’ 30/30 tweet Link to @NoContextEWPod Link to article about Chávez’s theory Link to article about Alonso’s theory Link to FanGraphs on the ball’s behavior Link to article about VanMeter Link to VanMeter interview Link to Knapp ejection video Link to Russell on emergency catchers Link to Shelley Duncan interview Link to Ben on second-guessing Link to EW episode on Shamsky Link to Michael Baumann on Shamsky Link to Stathead query on Shamsky/Naylor Link to Stathead Link to info on Hjelle Link to video of Hjelle’s debut Link to Hjelle/Rogers release points Link to Stat Blast release-point data Link to release-point height leaderboard Link to league-average release point height Link to Bill Veeck “giant” idea
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the joys of a pitcher’s duel between Shohei Ohtani and Rich Hill, have a spoiler-free discussion about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness being a baseball movie, examine whether the historically hapless Reds are truly tanking or are just a case of Nutting gone wrong, and talk about the state of the standings (including which teams have seen their playoff odds rise or fall the most in the first month of the season), followed by an update on league leaders and Manny Machado vs. Nolan Arenado, a suggested definition for “modern baseball,” listener-submitted examples of baseball skeumorphs, four pedantic questions about baseball, Ben’s confession of an Olaf-from-Frozen phobia, and an attempt to quantify the Cardinals’ varied sprint speeds.
Audio intro: T. Rex, “Universe” Audio outro: Dent May (Feat. Frankie Cosmos), “Across the Multiverse”
Link to Ohtani highlights video Link to Ohtani’s 29 whiffs Link to article about Ohtani’s game Link to combined WAR leaderboard Link to article on Doctor Strange joke Link to EW episode on the multiverse Link to article on the Mets in Endgame Link to other article on the Mets in Endgame Link to EW on the Mets in Endgame Link to EW again on the Mets in Endgame Link to Jayson Stark on the Reds Link to Passan’s tweets about the Reds Link to Baseball Prospectus IL Ledger Link to changes in playoff odds Link to preseason playoff odds Link to Dan Szymborski on the White Sox Link to Jay Jaffe on the Mets Link to news about Correa’s finger Link to news about Lewis callup Link to news about Yankees vaccinations Link to Ben on Machado vs. Arenado Link to MLB tiebreaking procedure Link to sprint speed leaderboard Link to sprint speed SD by team Link to Riley O’Brien EW episode
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a Madison Bumgarner ejection, players having to be held back, and sensual sticky-stuff inspections, the historically slow start of the Reds and Joey Votto’s response to a FanGraphs article about his season-opening slump, and a study on which teams improve pitchers. Then (24:10) they discuss how John T. Brush of the 1889 Indianapolis Hoosiers discovered the “times through the order” penalty, implemented midgame pitching changes, and was forced to abandon the tactic, as an object lesson in how change happens (or doesn’t happen) in MLB and beyond. Finally (53:10) they provide a potpourri of Stat Blasts on pitchers with a higher ERA+ than sum of batters faced, Kyle Schwarber and the best offensive performance by a player on the losing end of a no-hitter, Juan Soto and players who drive only themselves in, the highest-scoring game where every run scored on an out, the winning streak of Max Scherzer’s teams, “hitting your weight,” and home-run rates by day of the week, capped off by a cold call (1:11:10) to 95-year-old former major leaguer (and Stat Blast subject) Charlie Maxwell, who discusses learning from, throwing batting practice to, and being blocked by Ted Williams, hitting a pinch-hit grand slam off of Satchel Paige, helping the Tigers win more often when he was in the lineup, being clutch, hitting homers on Sundays, his many nicknames, how baseball has evolved since his playing days, and more.
Audio intro: AC/DC, “Hold Me Back” Audio outro: Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Charlie”
Link to Bumgarner check video Link to another Bumgarner video Link to Bumgarner’s postgame comments Link to Dan Szymborski on Votto Link to Votto’s tweet Link to Cameron Grove’s pitcher dev tweet Link to Ben on pitcher limits Link to John T. Brush’s SABR bio Link to Brush’s B-Ref Bullpen page Link to articles about Brush’s experiment Link to 1889 Hoosiers schedule Link to The Only Rule Is It Has to Work Link to Ben on La Russa and the opener Link to Hershberger’s SABR author page Link to Hershberger’s book, Strike Four Link to John Thorn’s foreword to Strike Four Link to Stathead Link to Stathead webinar info Link to Tim Burke Stathead query Link to story on Mets combined no-no Link to Charlie’s SABR bio Link to no-hit leverage-adjusted RE24 leaders Link to no-hit RE24 leaders Link to no-hit WPA leaders Link to pitcher team win streaks Link to highest-scoring “runs on outs” game Link to “hitting your weight” data Link to data on dingers and days of the week Link to “with or without you” Stat Blast data Link to “with or without you” Stat Blast episode Link to story about Charlie’s 4-homer day Link to story about Charlie’s Sunday slugging Link to Charlie’s w/RISP split ranking Link to story about Charlie’s Opening Day visit Link to video about Charlie and Paw Paw Link to average game time by year Link to oldest living former major leaguers Link to Ann’s obit Link to EW wiki page on cold calls Link to Cease prediction video
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about April’s low offensive numbers and Zack Greinke’s deadball-style success, then (7:11) talk to 32-year MLB umpire Dale Scott and SABRcast host Rob Neyer, co-authors of Scott’s new memoir The Umpire is Out: Calling the Game and Living My True Self, touching on the definition of “nutcutter,” how Dale and Rob teamed up, whether Dale’s memories were accurate, the art of the umpire memoir, whether the book is a tell-all, umpire mechanics, the 7th inning of 2015 ALDS Game 5, whether players and managers know the rules, what makes someone want to umpire, replay review, the automated strike zone, why the zone expands and shrinks depending on the count, how pitch-tracking tech has improved umpires’ calls, how umps get graded and whether deserving umps are promoted and demoted, whether some umps disapprove of other umps, how Scott lived as a gay man while umpiring in MLB, and how he came out.
Audio intro: Nick Lowe, “Blue on Blue” Audio outro: The Moon, “Come Out Tonight”
Link to Ben on pitcher roster limits Link to Taylor HR robbery video Link to Canó DFA news Link to Ben’s “oral history” of ALDS G5 Link to ALDS G5 highlights video Link to EW episode on ALDS G5 Link to Passan on umpire grading Link to Ben on robo umps in 2021 Link to Ben on robo umps in 2013 Link to BP on robo umps in 2018 Link to article on compassionate umpires Link to article on Bayesian umpires Link to article on umpire improvements Link to The Umpire is Out Link to Dale’s first EW appearance Link to Dale’s website Link to SABRcast Link to Ben on pitcher deception
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley react to MLB’s decision to suspend Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer for an unprecedented 324 games, then (22:25) discuss Justin Verlander and Ronald Acuña Jr. looking like their old selves and pitcher Tucker Davidson’s critiques of the minor league pitch clock before answering listener emails about the Cardinals and how to evaluate teams whose pitching approaches seem out of step with the times, skeuomorphs and baseball terminology of uncertain origin, whether batters should be able to decline intentional walks (and whether they would even if they could), when “modern baseball” begins, and more.
Audio intro: Gladys Knight & The Pips, “Go Away, Stay Away” Audio outro: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, “Modern Mystery”
Link to ESPN’s news story about Bauer CW // Link to latest WaPo report about Bauer Link to MLB DV and sexual assault policy Link to video of Acuña’s return Link to Davidson thread Link to Ben on pitch clocks Link to Baseball America on new pitch clock Link to Jeff Passan on new pitch clock Link to MLB.com story on baseball terms Link to “in the hole” explainer Link to “around the horn” explainer Link to Joe Posnanski on declining IBBs Link to Lindsey Adler on IKF Link to Matthews bat flip video Link to Posnanski on new HoF changes Link to Jay Jaffe on new HoF changes Link to Marvel’s sliding timescale Link to Rob Mains on Mets HBPs Link to golf story about DECADE