Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about this season’s giant cluster of wild card contenders, the potential for an inactive trade deadline, the role the White Sox will play, whether the compression of the standings is good or bad for baseball, and expanded-playoffs incentives. Then (33:46) they talk to NPR producer Alana Schreiber, creator and executive producer of the NPR/MLB podcast Road to Rickwood, about the history of the park that’s hosting its first MLB game this month, plus a postscript (1:17:48) about a postseason mid-PA pitching change.

Audio intro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to MLBTR on the Biggio trade
Link to Ben on preseason projections
Link to Sheehan on parity
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to MLB standings
Link to Road to Rickwood
Link to Road to Rickwood site
Link to MLB on RtR
Link to NPR on RtR
Link to HoF on Rickwood
Link to Wickwood wiki
Link to MLB at Rickwood wiki
Link to MLB’s Rickwood page
Link to Bull Durham anecdote
Link to Shelton on EW
Link to EW Episode 1887
Link to 1991 ALCS game
Link to ALCS game log
Link to 1991 article page 1
Link to 1991 article page 2
Link to Ben on mid-PA changes
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Bryce Harper pandering to Londoners, Kiké Hernández booting a ball during an in-game interview, banning player scouting cards to lower BABIP, the effect on home runs of widening the foul lines, Yusei Kikuchi, Tyler Soderstrom, and a foul-territory hypothetical, crediting managers for sacrificial ejections, Aaron Judge’s scalding hot streak, Luis Gil performing like Gerrit Cole, the Yankees’ candlelit clubhouse, Matt Waldron as the small-sample best pitcher in baseball, the dynamic duo of Tarik Skubal and Cole Ragans, follow-ups about non-hated dynasties, the Angels’ resilient attendance, a mid-PA pitching change, and pterodactyls and dinosaurs, plus closing banter about Buster Olney’s hacked-Twitter Luis Robert Jr. trade rumors.

Audio intro: Kite Person, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Harper pandering article
Link to Harper’s slide
Link to Harper’s bat
Link to AP on Kiké’s interview
Link to Roberts on the error
Link to video of error
Link to Ben on in-game interviews
Link to Kikuchi collision
Link to Servais ejection
Link to Raley’s bunt
Link to Raleigh’s slam
Link to Episode 2033 Stat Blast
Link to Judge leaderboard
Link to rained-out stats
Link to BP on Gil
Link to Apstein on candles
Link to Waldron leaderboard
Link to pitching fWAR leaders
Link to tweet about Boone mixup
Link to Ben on mid-PA changes
Link to pterosaur wiki
Link to pterodacytl wiki
Link to quetzalcoatlus wiki
Link to grackle wiki
Link to cassowary wiki
Link to Olney article 1
Link to Olney article 2
Link to Olney article 3
Link to OF leaderboard
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s recent resurgence, then answer listener emails about what a dynastic team could do to avoid being widely hated, a mid-plate-appearance batting change, widening the foul lines to increase offense, whether reducing pitcher injuries would be worth bringing back pitcher hitting, the popularity of a perfect ump, the fairness of unintentional foul tips, and which Mario Kart power-up would be best in baseball, plus additional banter about the Angels’ surprisingly small post-Ohtani attendance drop and ((1:09:51) a Stat Blast (with Michael Mountain) about championship win probability MVPs, combining regular-season and postseason stats, and more.

Audio intro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Josh Busman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Vlad leaderboard
Link to Ben on the Dodgers
Link to Paine on the Giants
Link to Ben on mid-PA changes
Link to PH penalty post
Link to foul lines article 1
Link to foul lines article 2
Link to foul lines article 3
Link to foul lines article 4
Link to foul lines article 5
Link to foul lines article 6
Link to foul lines article 7
Link to Ben on pitcher hitting 1
Link to Ben on pitcher hitting 2
Link to Hoberg EW segment
Link to Mario Kart items
Link to previous Mario question
Link to Caldwell article 1
Link to Caldwell article 2
Link to listener emails database
Link to Sam’s Angels tweets
Link to team attendance changes
Link to ESPN strength of schedule
Link to Michael’s Stat Blast cover
Link to Sam on postseason stats
Link to Michael’s cWPA spreadsheet
Link to yearly cWPA leaders
Link to Kiner and Rickey article
Link to Ben on Britton
Link to Ben on pitch-clock history
Link to 1970 GCL batting
Link to 1970 GCL Pirates
Link to Andino headshots
Link to Curse of the Andino
Link to Sam on single-play WAR
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the showdowns between Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani, Skenes’s strengths and weaknesses as a pitcher and an entertainer, the least and most exciting types of strikes, and more. They then discuss the improbable longevity of Aroldis Chapman’s triple-digit pitch speeds, whether the risk of losing the most games ever should stop the White Sox from selling, whether outfield positioning is suppressing offense more than the shift ever did, the less lively but far-from-dead ball, the end of Atlanta’s shutout streak, Adam Duvall’s beer-cup throw as proof of concept for a skills competition, MLB’s latest curious sponsor, an unsightly London Series shirt, and a potential Kyle Tucker nickname. They also assess bears, sharks, pterodactyls, and other natural predators.

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

Link to Ohtani-Skenes video
Link to “Paulk” Skenes video
Link to Sam on Skenes
Link to Bonds vs. Gagne
Link to R.J. on Skenes
Link to Skenes postgame interview
Link to Skenes HR reaction
Link to Ohtani-Skenes-Chapman game
Link to Skenes Baseball Savant page
Link to Heart zone data
Link to Chase zone data
Link to article on Skenes fastball
Link to info on foul-ball rates
Link to Longenhagen on Skenes
Link to Woodward on Skenes
Link to Chapman max speeds
Link to Cooper on Chapman
Link to Chapman Instagram story
Link to EW Episode 1
Link to MLBTR on the Sox
Link to Passan on the Sox
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Russell on OF defense
Link to Rob on playing deeper
Link to Rob on OF defense
Link to Episode 1907 wiki
Link to 1907 Unglaub arc article
Link to Ben on moving the mound
Link to EW on time-traveling GM
Link to Teoscar batted ball tweet
Link to Chapman reaction
Link to longest no-shutout streaks
Link to Duvall video
Link to Paine on Duvall
Link to buildsubmarines.com
Link to buildsubmarines.com release
Link to Good Sam Club release
Link to Camping World release
Link to Doosan release
Link to EW on beer/cerveza
Link to beer/cerveza follow-up
Link to London shirt tweet
Link to London shirt tweet 2
Link to Reed tweet
Link to split scarves tweet
Link to Reed/shirt post
Link to Dan Flashes meme
Link to mother is mothering meme
Link to shark-punching article
Link to lowest team OBPs
Link to lowest team wRC+
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss MLB’s clearing of Shohei Ohtani and banning of five other players for betting on baseball (including Tucupita Marcano’s permaban), touching on MLB’s culpability (or lack thereof), gambling ads, the future, and more. Then (39:32) they banter about the latest instance of Tommy Pham going aggro, which demotion is more surprising, Spencer Torkelson’s or Edouard Julien’s, leaguewide parity and a purported lack of good teams, a Garrett Crochet trade rumor, a memorable Brewers-Phillies game, a skills competition at the Futures Game, the Rangers’ resistance to Pride Night (1:16:18), a suggested Kyle Tucker nickname, a Reed Garrett update, a decrease in position-player pitching, why mid-PA pitching changes haven’t caught on, and SABR’s new determination about which Negro Leagues were major-league quality.

Audio intro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Davy Andrews, “Edouard Julien, Are You Gonna Rule Again?”

Link to MLBTR on Ohtani
Link to MLB bans press release
Link to Marcano MaML
Link to Baumann on the ban
Link to 2015 Cosart story
Link to naming rights story
Link to regulation article 1
Link to regulation article 2
Link to regulation article 3
Link to regulation article 4
Link to regulation article 5
Link to Weaver on Pham
Link to latest Pham play
Link to Statcast on the send
Link to 2022 Pham play
Link to Pham-Pederson dispute
Link to Pham wiki
Link to Pham tweet
Link to Pham on the Mets
Link to Pham in AZ info 1
Link to Pham in AZ info 2
Link to Dan S. on Tork/Julien
Link to preseason Julien post
Link to preseason projections
Link to MLBTR on Suwinski
Link to Sam tweet
Link to Sheehan on the ALC
Link to end of Pac-12 baseball
Link to indy Oregon team
Link to Ben on team mediocrity
Link to EW on team mediocrity
Link to Ben on Morgan quotes
Link to FJM
Link to Crochet rumor
Link to Hoskins/Dahl game
Link to skills comp info
Link to KBO bunt derby clip
Link to Levi on the website slogan
Link to Levi on Pride Night
Link to Ghiroli on Pride Night
Link to AP on Pride Night
Link to LAT on Pride Night
Link to Rob Mains on PPP
Link to article on Tucker
Link to Clemens on mid-PA changes
Link to Ben L. on mid-PA changes
Link to SABR on the Negro Leagues
Link to Lester/Thorn on EW
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley bring on FanGraphs associate editor Matt Martell to discuss the scenes at Citi Field that kicked off the Mets’ Jorge López saga, the resulting DFA and fallout, and what this silly/sad sequence of events suggests about the potential for player intent to be lost in translation, how off-the-field issues can manifest on the field, and the line between LOLMets and more serious situations. Then (42:00) Ben and Meg are joined by Trout-tier Patreon supporter Andrew Simard to explore the podcast as a sleep aid and answer listener emails about a jack-of-all-trades team vs. a specialist team, learning baseball lingo and the “double out,” the need for a nickname for Kyle Tucker, Anthony Rizzo and batter’s-box mobility, strike-zone multipliers, and spending surplus wins on playoff power-ups.

Audio intro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to López comments
Link to López glove throw
Link to Matt’s thread
Link to DiComo tweet
Link to DiComo thread
Link to Beverley ball throw
Link to Beverley pod incident
Link to Mintz López column
Link to López Insta Story
Link to López Insta post
Link to MLBTR on López
Link to MLBTR on Díaz
Link to 2023 López IL stint
Link to Mets Reddit thread
Link to Mrs. Met story
Link to Hechavarría video
Link to Hechavarría story
Link to Becker on the Mets
Link to Baseball Sleep Radio
Link to Sleep Baseball host on EW
Link to lineup makeup research
Link to Ben on Trial By Content
Link to Ben on House of R
Link to Tucker HR robbery
Link to King Tuck’s Court video
Link to King Tuck’s Court Twitter
Link to King Felix’s Court
Link to recent EW on Tucker
Link to darts “double out”
Link to B-Ref career WAR leaders
Link to new Rizzo adjustment
Link to previous Rizzo adjustment
Link to Ben on moving the mound
Link to HBP penalty email
Link to Golden Batter rule
Link to Cosmic Baseball story
Link to listener emails database
Link to Ben on Button Mash
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Simeon Woods Richardson’s podcast-approved use of written notes, whether David Fry or Jurickson Profar has the most delightfully surprising stats, Kevin Pillar’s post-White Sox hot streak, MLB’s offensive outage in May, Blake Snell and other slow-starting late-starting starters, Matt Waldron’s knuckleball usage and Jeremiah Estrada’s strikeout streak, and the worst way for the zombie runner to end a game. Then (45:35) they talk to Keith Morrisroe, Nationals bullpen cart driver, about the finer points of bullpen-cart operation and receiving a tip from reliever (and rider) Steven Okert.

Audio intro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian Philips, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to notes tweet
Link to FG Profar post
Link to FG Fry post
Link to Fry faceplant tweet
Link to preseason projections
Link to top wRC+, min. 120 PA
Link to top May wRC+, min. 60 PA
Link to MLBTR on Sox and Pillar
Link to MLBTR on Angels and Pillar
Link to Sheehan on May offense
Link to Savant drag dashboard
Link to Baumann on late-signing SP
Link to AP Snell gamer
Link to MLBTR on Clevinger
Link to Waldron knuckler usage
Link to MLB.com on Estrada
Link to Phillies-Giants game
Link to walk-off sac flies
Link to previous Okert tip pod
Link to Okert article 1
Link to Okert article 2
Link to Keith’s GMU page
Link to Keith’s LinkedIn
Link to Okert ballpark splits
Link to Twins Daily on Keith
Link to previous Fletcher pod
Link to Fletcher investigation news
Link to Fletcher box score
Link to Fletcher line
Link to Fletcher pitch data
Link to Fletcher K pitch
Link to Kieschnick Jr. news
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the career and competitive implications of Ronald Acuña Jr.’s latest season-ending injury, the retirement of infamous ump Angel Hernandez, the aesthetics of umps issuing warnings, the Brewers’ success sans Craig Counsell and David Stearns, a new unwritten rule against any(?) bunting, White Sox players vs. White Sox skipper Pedro Grifol, Tim Anderson’s offense, Aaron Judge’s defense, and team meetings prior to Patrick Corbin starts. Then (1:02:12) they talk to official MLB historian John Thorn and Negro Leagues researcher Larry Lester about MLB adding Negro Leagues stats to its official major league historical record, pensions for surviving Negro Leagues players, the East-West Classic, and more, plus a few follow-ups (1:43:07).

Audio intro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to FG on Acuña
Link to Dan S. on Atlanta
Link to EW on modeling depth
Link to Acuña injury video
Link to MLB.com on Acuña injury
Link to MLB.com on ATL returns
Link to MLBTR on ATL OF help
Link to The Athletic on Hernandez
Link to USA Today on Hernandez
Link to Athletic Hernandez profile
Link to BP on Hernandez
Link to ump pointing pre-PCA HR
Link to Counsell boos
Link to BP on Counsell homecoming
Link to Lindor chants tweet
Link to Lindor boos tweet
Link to more Lindor
Link to Smith Berry beef
Link to bunting Stat Blast
Link to Sam on unwritten rules
Link to FG on the Guardians
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to Grifol story
Link to Anderson errors video
Link to Anderson errors story
Link to BP on Judge
Link to Judge barrels
Link to Judge’s 20 games
Link to Janes tweet
Link to 2023 meeting story
Link to Sam on Corbin
Link to MLBTR on Robles
Link to MLB news story
Link to Negro Leagues hub
Link to hitting leaderboards
Link to pitching leaderboards
Link to John’s website
Link to Larry’s website
Link to AP on stat integration
Link to Seamheads database
Link to Retrosheet data
Link to Athletic stats story
Link to MLB.com stats story
Link to pensions story
Link to East-West story
Link to MLB at Rickwood Field
Link to Ben’s 2020 report 1
Link to Ben’s 2020 report 2
Link to shift violation
Link to shift violation rule
Link to Cueto Windbigler video
Link to Cueto Windbigler story
Link to Moon Hound on Bandcamp
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about which slow-starting 2023 pennant winner (Diamondbacks or Rangers) is more likely to get back on track to return to October, explain (9:37) the saga of Dick Windbigler, the rare pitcher who actually hurt himself by pausing mid-delivery (featuring an appearance by Dick’s widow, Melba Windbigler), then (30:04) answer listener emails about the requirements for claiming to have seen a game played in every MLB ballpark, the funniest MVP chant alternatives, changing the penalty for shift violations, and clustering hits and outs, meet major leaguers (1:01:44) Ryan Loutos and Jacob Hurtubise, and Stat Blast (1:14:50) about the least productive hitting streaks and more (plus a postscript).

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

Link to playoff odds changes
Link to 1973 Windbigler article
Link to Windbigler HoF page
Link to induction story
Link to obit
Link to UT Martin baseball alumni
Link to delayed Mets game
Link to phantom players wiki
Link to Sam on NoPAPH
Link to EW on obscure awards
Link to shift violation
Link to interference call play
Link to Close Call Sports post
Link to Rogers tweet
Link to story on MLB response
Link to listener emails database
Link to B-Ref new debuts
Link to WashU baseball alumni
Link to Loutos on FGA
Link to MLB.com on Loutos
Link to MLBTR on Loutos
Link to Student Life on Loutos
Link to BA on Loutos
Link to West Point baseball alumni
Link to Hurtubise FG interview
Link to Hurtubise article 1
Link to Hurtubise article 2
Link to Hurtubise article 3
Link to Hurtubise article 4
Link to Hurtubise article 5
Link to Cards prospect list
Link to Reds prospect list
Link to Kyle Cripps Stat Blast cover
Link to lowest-OPS hitting streaks
Link to Kenny Jackelen’s Twitter
Link to triples-only games
Link to longest walk-less streaks
Link to longest ND streaks
Link to longest BB + ND streaks
Link to Verdugo clip 1
Link to Verdugo clip 2
Link to Verdugo clip 3
Link to Elly clip
Link to Adolis clip
Link to one-team-players post
Link to one-team-players data
Link to Paine on revolving-door teams
Link to TCU highlight
Link to Ben on mid-PA changes
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the end of the Orioles’ sweep-less streak, Oneil Cruz’s mismatch between top-tier tools and pedestrian production, the Phillies’ strength of schedule, Steven Okert and the etiquette of tipping one’s bullpen-cart driver, Kyle Hendricks and the decline of the 2016 Cubs’ core, and some Shohei Ohtani real-estate news. Then (47:14) they talk to The Athletic senior writer Evan Drellich about Rob Manfred’s press conference on Thursday, the uncertainty surrounding MLB’s broadcast/streaming future, the possibility (and potential ramifications) of nationalizing the sport’s media rights, a private-equity takeover of the minor leagues, and more, plus (1:27:57) several postscript follow-ups.

Audio intro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme 2”
Audio outro: Ted O., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to O’s sweep story
Link to team records during streak
Link to Cruz tweet 1
Link to Cruz tweet 2
Link to Cruz tweet 3
Link to Cruz’s Savant page
Link to ESPN SoS
Link to Defector on SoS
Link to FG projected SoS
Link to Okert article 1
Link to Okert article 2
Link to MLBTR on Hendricks
Link to 2016 team batting age
Link to 2016 team pitching age
Link to Paine on the Cubs
Link to Russell article 1
Link to Russell article 2
Link to L.A. Ohtani house
Link to L.A. house 2
Link to Hawaii Ohtani house
Link to Hawaii house 2
Link to Evan on Manfred comments
Link to sickos meme
Link to Evan on national TV
Link to broadcast/streaming split
Link to article on churn
Link to Evan on Diamond Sports
Link to Evan on the other Diamond
Link to Steinbrenner comments
Link to Sheehan on Steinbrenner
Link to Winning Fixes Everything
Link to Manfred on framing
Link to first Ballers win
Link to EW Ballers episode
Link to GF w/o save leaders
Link to Ben on mid-PA changes
Link to Shildt game
Link to MLBTR on Baumann trade
Link to WDJDD song
Link to Phiten tweet
Link to ballpark meetup forms
Link to meetup organizer form

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