Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley talk about not talking about the Cardinals, then banter about Sandy Alcantara’s resurgence, whether Walker Buehler will have his own bounceback for the Phillies, Ha-Seong Kim’s reunion with Jurickson Profar, the concept of “adversarial location,” Aroldis Chapman and Taj Bradley‘s discoveries of inside/outside and scouting reports, respectively, Chapman’s extension, whether Luis Arraez’s strikeout avoidance is still fun, a notable FARTBAT, switch-thrower Carlos Cortes, and Meg’s Mariners anxiety.

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

Link to Cardinals odds graph
Link to Cardinals WAR leaders
Link to team attendance changes
Link to preseason team projections
Link to Glaser bobblehead
Link to Alcantara leaderboard
Link to team SP projections
Link to team RP projections
Link to Judge article
Link to Olney video
Link to Olney pitch-type splits
Link to Dan S. on Chapman
Link to Chapman on DV
Link to Bradley article
Link to K%+ leaderboard
Link to Dan S. on Arraez
Link to Sam on Arraez
Link to Goodhart’s Law
Link to FARTBAT episode
Link to Story HR video
Link to Story HR article
Link to Cortes article

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about John Brebbia’s return to the big leagues, Kyle Schwarber’s four-homer game, the potential for a position-player-pitcher-assisted five-homer game, Heliot Ramos and dingers on extremely slow pitches, an interminable inning, whether the playoff race is over and, if so, whether that’s an indictment of the 12-team format, and the profusion of recently promoted pitchers potentially in line for postseason starts, then (55:50) answer listener emails about season-ending injuries, accounting for player intention in WAR, “rounding home,” giving pitchers tall shoes, making baseball less random, the worst on-field feeling, pitcher aesthetics, and mid-PA pitching changes, plus (1:36:34) follow-ups.

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

Link to MLBTR on Brebbia
Link to The Onion headline
Link to four-homer-games query
Link to Schwarber’s dingers
Link to article on Suárez game
Link to Ramos homer
Link to slowest HR pitches
Link to Rob Arthur on exit speed
Link to pitch-count tweet
Link to Nats-Yanks game
Link to pitch-count query
Link to Keyser on the playoff race
Link to Sheehan on the playoff race
Link to Baumann on the playoff race
Link to Andrews on the playoff race
Link to the AP on strikeouts
Link to McLean info
Link to Tong info
Link to Tolle info
Link to Baumann on Rodriguez
Link to Marucci email
Link to Seinfeld clip
Link to possessions info
Link to Ben on mid-PA pitching changes
Link to listener emails database
Link to Rounding Home book
Link to Rounding for Home book
Link to Rounding Home movie
Link to “Rounding Home” headline
Link to Berkson’s paradox
Link to Berkson and baseball

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the semi-resurgence of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw, Nathan Eovaldi’s injury and Patrick Corbin’s climb to the top of the Rangers innings leaderboard, the great-but-forgotten Steve Rogers, the end of Andrew Heaney’s Pirates tenure, Royce Lewis’s focus on his stats, whether MLB’s strikeout rate has declined because teams are targeting higher-contact hitters, the promotion of whiff artist Jonah Tong, why hitters aren’t swinging less, and a minor league attendance drop.

Audio intro: Garrett Krohn, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme 2”

Link to SP trio WAR before
Link to SP trio WAR after
Link to Kershaw fun fact
Link to Eovaldi news
Link to Rangers IP leaders
Link to Laurila’s post
Link to Rogers leaderboard
Link to Rogers at BR Bullpen
Link to Rogers SABR bio
Link to Captain America wiki
Link to MLBTR on Heaney
Link to Heaney laggardboard
Link to owners Reddit research
Link to Tellez story
Link to Tellez quotes
Link to Lewis quotes
Link to leaguewide K rate
Link to DotF K research
Link to Mains on strikeouts
Link to Baumann on the K paradox
Link to BtB on the K paradox
Link to MLBTR on Tong
Link to MLB SP K% leaders
Link to MiLB SP K% leaders
Link to Foundation wiki
Link to Tango on taking
Link to Eno on taking
Link to swing run values
Link to take run values
Link to leaguewide plate discipline
Link to BA on MiLB attendance
Link to MLB YoY attendance
Link to Carville quote
Link to Meg’s MiLB research
Link to other Ben on streaks

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the early start to the 2026 regular season and MLB’s schedule in a warming world, tossing snacks after tossing a bat, this year’s potential trio of 50-homer hitters (including a Cal Raleigh update), the virtues of players who have high floors (with check-ins on Bobby Witt Jr. and Trea Turner), the (dubious?) merits of the BBWAA’s new reliever of the year award, Tyler Phillips’s anti-hitter mentality, new large relievers Zach Maxwell and Drew Sommers, Brady Singer in Cincinnati, Juan Soto’s basestealing, Zack Wheeler’s prognosis, the latest on Shane Bieber and Kyle Tucker, and Samuel Basallo’s extension, plus responses about other sports’ significant sounds.

Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Andy Ellison, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to schedule announcement
Link to Contreras ejection video
Link to Contreras ejection quotes
Link to suspension news
Link to pre-September HR stat
Link to 50-homer-seasons query
Link to FG WAR leaderboard
Link to Seinfeld scene
Link to Zoolander clips
Link to Sheehan on Witt
Link to Stark on the reliever award
Link to setup man award
Link to Phillips interview
Link to Maxwell intro tweet
Link to Sommers intro tweet
Link to Maxwell story 1
Link to Maxwell story 2
Link to Kirk steal story
Link to Vogelbach promo
Link to TOS types
Link to Curb scene
Link to Wheeler diagnosis
Link to FG on Basallo
Link to Rubenstein on extensions
Link to Kiley on Basallo
Link to table tennis spin
Link to table tennis stomps
Link to catcher stomps
Link to Spieth shot
Link to Tiger shot
Link to quotes about drives

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about sports equivalents to baseball’s bat crack, Colson Montgomery’s torpedo bat, reserving judgement on the MVP race, Francisco Alvarez’s minor league reset (and subsequent injury), a Kyle Tucker slump/injury update, the hot hitting of Giancarlo Stanton and Jakob Marsee, the Twins’ new knuckleballer, Pierson Ohl, and the ramifications of MLB’s impending deal with ESPN (and other broadcast partners), followed by (1:19:16) listener emails about a baserunner catching a pickoff throw, an ill-timed umpire sneeze, and the post-realignment future of MLB awards, plus (1:36:36) follow-ups.

Audio intro: Moon Hound, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian H., “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to O’Neil clip
Link to bat-crack article 1
Link to bat-crack article 2
Link to bat-crack article 3
Link to bat-crack article 4
Link to bat-crack article 5
Link to tennis strings wiki
Link to catgut wiki
Link to WaPo on Changeover
Link to Changeover
Link to Nathan on Hang Up
Link to James on Montgomery
Link to previous Alvarez banter
Link to Alvarez leaderboard
Link to Tucker injury article
Link to Stanton leaderboard
Link to Marsee leaderboard
Link to Baumann on Marsee
Link to article on Ohl
Link to Yahoo broadcast report
Link to The Athletic broadcast report
Link to WSJ broadcast report
Link to The Athletic on ESPN’s plan
Link to MLBTR summary
Link to Hang Up on ESPN/NFL
Link to Cooper’s post
Link to enshittification wiki
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about torpedo bats (remember them?), Cody Bellinger’s good year and confounding career, recent comments by Craig Counsell and Aaron Boone, the impending call-up of Bubba Chandler and the recent arrival of Owen Caissie, the weirdest things about being a pro baseball player, a zombie-runner-induced ending to a pitcher’s duel, and Alien: Earth as a baseball show.

Audio intro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Straw update
Link to Sam on Bellinger
Link to Clay interview
Link to Tribune on Counsell
Link to latest Counsell quote
Link to 2018 Counsell quote
Link to The Athletic on Counsell
Link to Brewers subreddit post
Link to Chandler call-up
Link to rookie eligibility tweet
Link to rookie eligibility explainer
Link to Caissie debut story
Link to Marte apology article
Link to Marte apology article 2
Link to Tigers-Astros game
Link to Oort Cloud wiki
Link to Ben on sci-fi
Link to Buck Bockai
Link to Dixon Hill
Link to Captain Proton

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the commissioner’s power to dictate conversations about baseball, realignment possibilities, whether league distinctions still matter, how much they have to banter about, Victor Robles’s bat throw and suspension, the latest Tommy Pham flare-up, a Ketel Marte controversy, the Brewers, the Blue Jays, and what teams’ styles of play represent, a two-pitch inning, the promotion of Samuel Basallo and the Orioles’ future at catcher, Zack Wheeler’s injury and the Phillies’ unaccustomed uncertainty with Wheeler and Aaron Nola, Bryan Woo’s six-inning streak, Kyle Tucker’s slump, Ceddanne Rafaela’s positional splits, three Seymours, and Cody Ponce’s KBO dominance.

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

Link to Manfred’s comment
Link to Selig on realignment
Link to Nesbitt on realignment
Link to team travel mileage
Link to climate change article
Link to Robles suspension article
Link to Robles apology
Link to Pham article
Link to Piecoro on Ketel
Link to Nightengale on Ketel
Link to Perdomo on Ketel
Link to Ketel apology
Link to 1.0+ WAR Brewers
Link to Rosenthal on the Brewers
Link to Sam on the Brewers
Link to two-pitch-inning game
Link to MiLB two-pitch-inning
Link to Basallo promotion
Link to Basallo analysis
Link to rookie eligibility tweet
Link to rookie eligibility explainer
Link to Wheeler injury article
Link to team SP projections
Link to Woo article 1
Link to Woo article 2
Link to Tucker benching news
Link to Laurila on Rafaela
Link to Kruk comment
Link to knocker-up wiki
Link to three Seymours
Link to Bob promotion
Link to Bob Emergency
Link to Seymour Weiner news
Link to baby-name data

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether any of the teams that sold at the trade deadline can make an improbable playoff run, whether the Dodgers’ position in the playoff race refutes or confirms preseason fears about their advantages, and the accelerating splintering of sports broadcasts (MLB on the Poob tube!), then answer emails (41:40) about Roman Anthony’s OBP, driving/batting in runs with walks, and Juan Soto vs. players traded for him, before (1:03:34) talking to FanGraphs founder David Appelman about the site’s 20th anniversary.

Audio intro: Luke Lillard, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Austin Klewan, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to FG playoff odds
Link to divisional comebacks story
Link to Paine on bad/expensive teams
Link to burgers story
Link to BP IL Ledger
Link to baseball streaming story
Link to streaming meme
Link to more on the meme
Link to streaming expenses story
Link to Bois on Bonds
Link to listener emails database
Link to previous Appelman appearance
Link to Appelman’s birthday appearance
Link to death of dial-up
Link to Crawford conversation
Link to Speier post
Link to podcast-description stats

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the bounceback season of Trevor Rogers, the NL Cy Young race, career achievement awards, observations from a Shohei Ohtani start, the NL West race, and the significance of the Pohlads’ decision not to sell the Twins. Then (42:36) they answer listener emails about check-swing appeals, how the changing media landscape could affect fandom, streak freezes, when a game is tied, scattering hits, walk-away wins, Red Sox pain vs. Yankees pain, Toronto’s run differential, and Adam Dunn vs. Kyle Schwarber.

Audio intro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Rogers leaderboard
Link to Rogers tattoo episode
Link to NL WAR leaderboard
Link to Academy Honorary Award
Link to outfield defense laggards
Link to public enemy no. 1 clip
Link to Ohtani pitch usage
Link to splitter to Rengifo
Link to Padres/Dodgers fun fact
Link to Dodgers FG post
Link to Sportico on the Twins
Link to The Athletic on the Twins
Link to Manfred on the sale
Link to “sell the team” story
Link to umpire manual
Link to Sam on the umpire manual
Link to KBO check-swing story
Link to Duolingo mascot story
Link to “Railroad Daddy”
Link to team wins since 2018
Link to blowout-adjusted Pythag
Link to gradient wins
Link to Ben on Dunn vs. Pierre
Link to Poscast episode
Link to listener emails database

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a few of this year’s WAR leaders dropping off their previous paces, Dave Roberts’ critiques of Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ playoff pitching, Clayton Kershaw vs. Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander’s self-deception, the early hot streaks of Luke Keaschall and Warming Bernabel, Carlos Correa returning to form as an Astro, the AL West race, Brandon Woodruff and the Brewers, alumni home run derbies, Josh Naylor’s low-speed stealing, Luis Arraez’s batting average, the Padres’ failed hidden-ball trick, and pitch-tipping skepticism.

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

Link to FG combined WAR leaderboard
Link to Roberts quotes
Link to Kershaw/Scherzer story 1
Link to Kershaw/Scherzer story 2
Link to Verlander story
Link to Verlander’s stuff stats
Link to Keaschall fun fact
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to FG post on Woodruff
Link to Brewers derby story
Link to Sam on derbies
Link to Naylor’s Savant page
Link to Padres HBT article
Link to pitch-tipping story

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