Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Rich Hill’s latest perfect game bid, whether the Tigers are as good as they’ve looked, Jared Jones’ elbow surgery and the Pirates’ offensive outage, Paul Skenes and whether lower arm slots will protect pitchers’ arms, Pete Crow-Armstrong and the players who’ve ascended to “main character” status this season, and more listener suggestions for what to call tandeom home run rubberies and homers that clear the fence due to defensive miscues.

Audio intro: Grant Brisbee, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to latest Hill game
Link to 2016 Hill game
Link to Hill on EW
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Sheehan on Detroit
Link to projected RoS SP WAR
Link to Jones note
Link to Passan on Skenes
Link to Heyman on Skenes
Link to Skenes slot video
Link to Pirates unfun fact
Link to team offense since 4/23
Link to VAA explainer
Link to arm-slot injury study
Link to Russell on n=1
Link to The Bandwagon on Brown
Link to last-year pitcher WAR
Link to BP on Brown
Link to 2025 EW bold predictions
Link to 2025 FG bold predictions
Link to combined WAR leaderboard
Link to chase rate leaderboard
Link to story on PCA moving back
Link to PCA on his mom
Link to The Bandwagon on main characters
Link to free month of The Bandwagon
Link to Paine on the Cardinals
Link to Passan on the Cardinals
Link to team defense leaderboard
Link to Meg on farting
Link to Carpenter retirement
Link to Carpenter leaderboard 1
Link to Carpenter leaderboard 2

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Elly De La Cruz’s unspectacular start to the season, the firing of Brandon Hyde and what it would take for them to blame a manager for a team’s disappointing season, the hubbub about Juan Soto’s hustle, MLB’s announcement about Rivalry Weekend’s success, Kyle Schwarber and the lineage of non-Hall-of-Fame hitters who’ve appeared to have a chance at “magic number” milestones, MLB’s attempt to define the swing, the overwhelming array of Statcast stats, the latest call for Shohei Ohtani to specialize, and more.

Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes 2, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to FG on the O’s
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Girardi firing article
Link to ESPN on Valentine
Link to FG on the Twins
Link to Soto flight confusion
Link to Ben on Jeter vs. Cano
Link to Soto in-game interview info
Link to Ben on in-game interviews
Link to Soto plays
Link to Mendoza quote
Link to MLB press release
Link to Vedder Cup story
Link to Schwarber HR stat
Link to Stathead query
Link to most HR since 2022
Link to swings article 1
Link to swings article 2
Link to new Savant leaderboard
Link to article on new metrics
Link to FG on Royals pitching
Link to Ohtani strikeout
Link to Pereda ball
Link to Ohtani article
Link to Sam on Ohtani

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about listener suggestions for terms for tandem home run robberies (and the opposite of home run robberies), whether it’s so O’sver in Baltimore, Jacob deGrom succeeding despite slightly less dominant stuff, and the realness of the rivalries in MLB’s inaugural “Rivalry Weekend,” then (48:46) answer listener emails about awarding hit by pitches based on location, not contact, which player actually “starts the scoring,” whether defenders should save the ball from their first putout, a pitcher hitting month, and pantsless mascots, plus a postscript (1:38:32) on Ayami Sato, the first woman to play pro baseball in Canada.

Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to WhatIfSports offer page

Link to team wRC+ w/RISP
Link to team batting Clutch
Link to team wOBA-xwOBA
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to BaseRuns records
Link to MLBTR on the O’s
Link to deGrom FG post
Link to Rivalry Weekend info
Link to Vedder Cup story
Link to Sam on the no-go zone
Link to Rob Arthur on HBPs
Link to Billy the Marlin pics
Link to Billy video
Link to Grant on mascots
Link to listener emails database
Link to Hang Up and Listen

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Julio Rodríguez gifting a homer and then taking one away, two Red Sox outfielders teaming up to make a catch, home-run-robbery terminology, Conor Jackson and remembering some guys who were good for your fantasy team, pouring one out for the Austin Barnes Dodgers era, lopsided scores, and the A’s, then (55:30) discuss Pete Rose’s reinstatement from the permanently ineligible list: why it happened, what it means, and what’s next.

Audio intro: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Julio gift
Link to Julio robbery
Link to Sox catch
Link to The Bandwagon on the catch
Link to Office Space clip
Link to Patrick on lopsided scores
Link to EW bold predictions
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to A’s sprint speeds
Link to Ben on Rose’s reinstatement
Link to Ben’s Rose obit
Link to Jay on Rose
Link to Wetzel on Rose

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about an expert’s stance on stretching, whether the White Sox were the funniest team for the new Pope to support, what Paul Skenes signing up for the WBC signifies, an optimistic take on the odds of a lost season, Bud Black’s firing and the dreaded “vote of confidence,” Roki Sasaki’s struggles, a petty Shohei Ohtani, how opposing teams have handled Aaron Judge, a Javier Báez rebound, sliding mitts as fashion accessories, a real-time reaction to a Rich Hill signing, and more, plus (1:36:48) updates and a preliminary postscript on Pete Rose’s reinstatement from the ineligible list.

Audio intro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to NYT on stretching
Link to trigger point info
Link to end range of motion
Link to NYT on Baseball Pope
Link to Phillips on the Pope
Link to 2005 Pope video
Link to 2006 Trump photo
Link to papal infallibility wiki
Link to JLD on the Rizzler
Link to Keke Palmer meme
Link to Skenes WBC story
Link to Hannah on Skenes
Link to The Bandwagon entry
Link to Bud Black quotes
Link to Pirates Shelton statement
Link to MLB.com on Sasaki
Link to pitcher zone rate leaders
Link to pitcher contact rate leaders
Link to Sasaki IL news
Link to latest on Kershaw
Link to Ohtani video
Link to Ohtani story
Link to Hannah on Skenes
Link to hitter zone rate leaders
Link to Clemens on walking Judge
Link to defense vs. Judge
Link to Jay on Aranda
Link to Jay on Báez
Link to sliding mitts story
Link to MLBTR on Hill
Link to FG SP WAR
Link to FG SP projections
Link to Rose news
Link to 2015 Jackson story
Link to Thorn in 2016
Link to Thorn in 2019
Link to 2020 ESPN report
Link to March ESPN report
Link to April ESPN report
Link to calling Trump report
Link to MLB ban wiki
Link to Ben’s Rose obit
Link to Rose death reactions
Link to Rose ban text
Link to Jackson details

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Ben Lindbergh and Ben Clemens of FanGraphs banter about the latest positional drama regarding Rafael Devers, then discuss whether and why pitchers leaguewide are Yu Darvish-ing and Tyler Holton-ing—that is, throwing more pitch types, and varying their pitch types more based on batter handedness—before answering listener emails about home strike zones and combining bad teams to make a good team. Then (44:42) Ben continues the “baseball jobs” series by bringing on Adam Auer, major league dietician for the Brewers and former minor and major league strength and conditioning coach, to talk about how teams are improving player performance through nutrition, exercise, and recovery, followed (1:41:49) by Emory Brinkman, senior editor for Stats Perform, who discusses generating viral fun facts, parsing statistical qualifiers, and data-wrangling.

Audio intro: Daniel Leckie, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 1: Benny and a Million Shetland Ponies, “Effectively Wild Theme (Pedantic)”
Audio interstitial 2: Philip Tapley and Michael Stokes, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to WhatIfSports offer page

Link to MLBTR on Devers
Link to Ben on adaptation score
Link to adaptation score sequel
Link to BP on Holton
Link to BP on Brown
Link to Ben L. on Rays changeups
Link to 2008 SP pitch usage
Link to 2024 SP pitch usage
Link to Ben on the Orioyals
Link to Adam on LinkedIn
Link to MLB dietician origins
Link to Adam’s hiring
Link to Minasian comments
Link to Emory on LinkedIn
Link to Stats Perform
Link to Schneemann fact
Link to Alonso fact
Link to Carpenter fact
Link to Ohtani fact
Link to unremarkable day fact
Link to shutouts fact
Link to Ohtani fact 2
Link to BWJ fact
Link to Young graphic
Link to @OptaJoe
Link to deGrom post
Link to Pirates statement
Link to Freeland comments

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It’s a baseball-book bonanza! Ben Lindbergh rounds up the authors of three new baseball books for conversations about their work and our relationships with the past. First he talks to John W. Miller about his biography of Earl Weaver, The Last Manager, Weaver’s wiring and sabermetric intuition, and the diminished role and reputation of managers. Then (48:16) he brings on Will Bardenwerper to discuss his book, Homestand, the contraction of the minor leagues, and baseball as a social bond. Finally (1:29:52), Jacob McArthur Mooney joins to explore his new novel, the Northern, the baseball card wars, and road/coming-of-age stories.

Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 1: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial 2: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to 2022 books episode
Link to Pope article 1
Link to Pope article 2
Link to The Last Manager
Link to Weaver on Strategy article
Link to SABR on manager nicknames
Link to Thompson nicknames
Link to MLBTR on Shelton
Link to Muckdogs video
Link to Homestand
Link to Meg on MiLB contraction
Link to Batavia wiki
Link to New York–Penn League wiki
Link to Muckdogs wiki
Link to Stompers wiki
Link to Mint Condition
Link to The Northern
Link to Canadian Minor League Baseball
Link to The Cactus League interview
Link to “2319” scene
Link to MLBTR on Castillo

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Ben Lindbergh brings on Brandon Uffner, an Orioles and Braves fan, to talk about his two teams’ slow starts to the season, his prescription for fixing them, how he came to root for them, managing his competing loyalties, and more. Then (36:01) he talks to Austin, a White Sox and Rockies fan, about both of his teams bottoming out and how that has or hasn’t affected his appetite for baseball. Finally, (1:04:59), Frequent Stat Blast Correspondent Ryan Nelson joins to deliver several Stat Blasts.

Audio intro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to playoff odds changes
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Laurila on walk-off groundouts
Link to walk-off out 1
Link to walk-off out 2
Link to walk-off out 3
Link to Mets streak tweet
Link to rule 34 wiki
Link to catching mask trick
Link to lone pitcher example
Link to new-name data
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Mike Trout’s latest injury, Pete Alonso’s renaissance, a Daulton Varsho recovery catch, Andrés Muñoz the cat guy, and the called strike zone (sort of) shrinking. Then (40:49) they bring on top-tier Patreon supporter Carson Otter to talk about his background with baseball and the podcast, share his baseball-related work experience, and answer listener emails about home teams hiring umpires, the one Statcast stat about Babe Ruth they would want, and a way to extend a consecutive-games-played streak without playing.

Audio intro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to WhatIfSports offer page

Link to Ella Black series
Link to Ella Black event details
Link to Jay on Trout
Link to Blum on Trout
Link to Trout wOBA-xwOBA
Link to Trout hypotheticals
Link to The Athletic on Alonso
Link to Varsho play
Link to Varsho quote
Link to Muñoz story
Link to recent pets study
Link to The Athletic on the zone
Link to postseason HFA
Link to umpiring history
Link to EBUG history
Link to Ottavino on Ruth
Link to Ben on caliber of play
Link to Ripken injury info
Link to listener emails database
Link to Homestand
Link to “Wake up babe” meme

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the unexpected power of Meg’s Mariners (and Jorge Polanco, specifically), in contrast to the Rangers’ unexpectedly light-hitting lineup. They also discuss a Jackson Chourio comment about Julio Rodríguez, the long-awaited comeback of Lance McCullers Jr. and the thus-far-deflating comeback of Sandy Alcantara, the literally diminished Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve’s self-knowledge, a Rockies theory, and the existence of Maverick Handley. Then (38:11) Meg gives Ben some alone time with Tigers reliever John Brebbia, who talks about iPhones vs. Androids, social media, the prospect of becoming Ben’s friend, indy ball, beards, spreadsheets, pitching for the 2024 White Sox, going from worst-to-first in the AL Central, being the new guy in a tightly bonded bullpen, pitch-calling, adapting, Brebbia’s alma mater as a pitching powerhouse, whether baseball players (other than Brebbia) are funny, his post-playing future, a potential new nickname, and more, plus a postscript (1:49:21).

Audio intro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ella Black series
Link to Ella Black event details
Link to Dodgers bidets article
Link to FG post on Polanco
Link to Chourio video
Link to Mookie’s Savant page
Link to Altuve story
Link to Ben on MLB talent level
Link to Tigers Brebbia video
Link to first EW Brebbia banter
Link to second EW on Brebbia
Link to Step Brothers scene
Link to collected Brebbia clips
Link to Players’ Weekend video
Link to Brebbia pitch-type splits
Link to Brebbia’s Wikipedia page
Link to Elon major leaguers
Link to Bunny Hearn info
Link to TLOU scene

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