Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Yordan Alvarez kissing Martín Maldonado, Will Brennan’s birdslaughter (12:33), the Guardians’ slow start (23:12), Madison Bumgarner’s reported reluctance to alter his pitching approach (32:49), Mike Trout passing Ken Griffey Jr. in career Baseball-Reference WAR (45:56), whether the A’s will end up historically bad or rebound to being merely abysmal (1:03:38), the firing of A’s broadcaster Glen Kuiper (1:21:17), and the Dodgers’ Pride Night debacle (1:40:34), plus a Past Blast from 2010 (1:48:05).

Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Yordan kiss image
Link to Yordan kiss video
Link to Pudge kiss image
Link to Brennan bird video
Link to other Brennan bird clip
Link to Brennan tweet
Link to baby pigeons info
Link to Gomes story
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Buchanan on Bumgarner
Link to Mason Saunders story
Link to Trout/Griffey thread
Link to B-Ref career WAR leaders
Link to Dan S. on the A’s
Link to Tango on the A’s
Link to Sheehan on the A’s
Link to tremendous content meme
Link to Kuiper firing story
Link to other Kuiper story
Link to 2023 Kuiper clip
Link to 2020 Kuiper clip
Link to first Kuiper apology
Link to Braden explanation
Link to Pride Night story
Link to 2010 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Mets lasagna story
Link to Brennan’s bird gesture
Link to Brennan press conference
Link to A’s stadium update

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley follow up with additional details about the Cardinals’ cheeseburger phone, banter about the hot hitting of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Aaron Judge, answer listener emails (31:13) about home run rituals and the unwritten rules, a prophylactic procedure to prevent Tommy John surgery, whether a runner could be safe because of his beard, the percentage of players who could be on the same statistical list as a Hall of Famer, whether pitchers fan batters or vice versa, a rapid player promotion, and making fan interference part of the game, react to a Luke Voit “beef” reference, meet Major Leaguers Josh Walker and Garrett Acton (1:13:46), Stat Blast about entire divisions being better than entire other divisions, players batting without a position, and streaks of starting pitchers with the same handedness (1:27:39), plus follow-ups and a Past Blast from 2009 (1:42:22).

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

Link to Goold on phone details
Link to burger image
Link to burger GIF
Link to home run rituals
Link to Lawless bat flip
Link to “beanball” wiki
Link to FG WAR leaderboard
Link to xWOBA leaderboard
Link to other Ben on Acuña
Link to Sheehan on Acuña/Judge
Link to story about prophylactic TJ
Link to more on TJ
Link to even more on TJ
Link to bearded Napoli slide
Link to Speier tweet
Link to Episode 1426
Link to spirit week explainer
Link to listener emails database
Link to story on Walker
Link to more on Walker
Link to even more on Walker
Link to MLBTR on Walker
Link to Walker interview
Link to Acton debut story
Link to Acton’s first K
Link to BA on Acton
Link to FG on Acton
Link to background on Acton
Link to Ben on pitcher deception
Link to new MLB debuts
Link to Voit video
Link to Topps Now cards
Link to ALE/ALC standings
Link to tweet about “nothings”
Link to SABR on “nothings”
Link to most “nothing” PA
Link to most “nothing” runs created
Link to Russell on SP handedness
Link to 2009 Past Blast source
Link to more on Ripken’s site
Link to even more on the site
Link to video on the site
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to long hair article

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the sesame-seer Cardinals using a cheeseburger phone to predict home buns (er, runs) by hitters who are dialed in, the varying fortunes of three offseason big spenders (the Mets, Padres, and Rangers) and the stakes of their success, Kumar Rocker’s Tommy John surgery, Dustin May’s flexor strain, the proliferation of ranked prospects, Jackson Holliday, the Orioles’ infield future, and what it takes for tanking to be justified, the need for a Lab League to test the pre-tacked ball, José Abreu’s power outage, Zac Gallen’s bird omen, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:38:22) from 2008 and a few follow-ups.

Audio intro: Liz Panella, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Harold Walker, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Wainwright interview
Link to burger image
Link to burger GIF
Link to home run rituals
Link to Mets celebration article
Link to Mets comeback homers
Link to Machado injury info
Link to FG post on Heim
Link to Rocker Pipeline thread
Link to SAL leaderboard
Link to article on pre-tacked ball
Link to Bird Bath Splash Zone info
Link to Gallen bird video
Link to asterisk-ball display
Link to 2008 Past Blast source
Link to MLB replay wiki
Link to article on David’s catch
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to competitions/drafts sheet
Link to Episode 201 draft
Link to Modesto game box score
Link to Modesto game thread

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani’s near-cycle and newly hot hitting on days when he’s pitched, the Cardinals reinstating Willson Contreras at catcher (and Zac Gallen’s comments on the Cardinals Way), the Sean Murphy/William Contreras/Esteury Ruiz trade revisited, post-peak Christian Yelich and the breakout of Brent Rooker, the dominant Rays’ possible vulnerability, Aaron Judge peeking while at the plate, the verdict on the shift restrictions so far, the confounding seasons of the Red Sox, Cubs, and Padres, MLB app notifications about old games, mini-reviews of two new documentaries about Yankees icons, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:26:36) from 2007 and follow-ups.

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

Link to Ohtani quotes
Link to Ohtani homer
Link to Ohtani’s yearly splits
Link to Ohtani’s career splits
Link to Ohtani Stat Blast
Link to post on Chisholm’s defense
Link to news on Chisholm’s injury
Link to Marmol’s Contreras quote
Link to Post-Dispatch on Contreras
Link to The Athletic on Contreras
Link to Nightengale on Contreras
Link to Woodward on Contreras
Link to Gallen comments
Link to FG on William Contreras
Link to Rooker story
Link to Rooker interview
Link to Jay on the Rays
Link to Judge story
Link to Judge video
Link to Tango on the shift
Link to Ben on the Red Sox
Link to BaseRuns standings
Link to story about Pint promotion
Link to Reggie
Link to It Ain’t Over
Link to 2015 greatest players
Link to Crane lawsuits info
Link to Mays doc episode
Link to 2007 Past Blast source
Link to article about 756 sale
Link to asterisk info
Link to article about 762 ball
Link to Hample incident info
Link to Hample banning tweet
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Jays-Yanks story
Link to Rosenthal on tipping
Link to Casas clip

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Akil Baddoo taking a baseball to the beans, broadcasters describing groin shots, and players deciding whether to wear cups. Then they compare a resurgent Joey Gallo and a slumping Andrew Benintendi (20:25), recall reliever Zack Littell’s affinity for cruise ships (33:22), forecast MLB’s international future (37:22), consider the Dodgers’ secret Ugandan academy (47:06), discuss an update on MLB’s integration of Negro Leagues stats (1:13:40), and assess their levels of anxiety about game-fixing in light of two college gambling scandals (1:30:21), plus a Past Blast (1:42:35) from 2006.

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

Link to Baddoo play
Link to first cup tweet
Link to second cup tweet
Link to MLB nutshots compilation
Link to another nutshots video
Link to swinging nutshot video
Link to Ben Clemens on Gallo
Link to Ben L. on Gallo in 2014
Link to Gallo’s juggle catch
Link to Gallo on New York
Link to Gallo on New York again
Link to Littell article
Link to old Littell EW episode
Link to MLB international plans
Link to South Korea game info
Link to Uganda academy article
Link to info on Dodgers’ DR academy
Link to info on academies’ impact
Link to prospect exploitation report
Link to Horace Wilson article
Link to article on Negro Leagues stats
Link to Ben on MLB’s reclassification
Link to Ben on reclassification again
Link to Baumann on the Ala. scandal
Link to Sheehan on the Ala. scandal
Link to Iowa scandal story
Link to Iowa State info
Link to 2006 Past Blast source
Link to 2022 article on Jones
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Rasmussen info
Link to 2022 Megill story
Link to 2023 Megill story

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s recovery from COVID and the belated release of the CBA, predict how well White Sox cast-off Jake Diekman will pitch for the Rays, discuss injuries to Luis Garcia, Max Fried, Tyler Mahle, and more pitchers and investigate forearm/flexor strains as potential precursors to Tommy John surgery, react to Jack Flaherty’s comments about his diminished velocity, assess the state of the Astros’, Mets’, and Braves’ rotations, celebrate the call-up of Marlins prospect Eury Pérez and speculate about the call-up of hard-hitting Reds prospect Elly De La Cruz, laud the new, old Kenley Jansen, review what the “insiders” say about Shohei Ohtani’s upcoming contract, evaluate the needs of the Orioles and Mariners, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:42:35) from 2005.

Audio intro: The Gagnés, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jimmy Kramer, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to CBA
Link to Diekman news
Link to Sam’s Rays tweet
Link to Conte EW episode
Link to forearm strain study
Link to SI on velo and injuries
Link to Dan S. on Atlanta injuries
Link to Fried forearm strain
Link to Márquez forearm strain
Link to Mahle forearm strain
Link to Senzatela forearm strain
Link to Miller forearm strain
Link to Flaherty quote
Link to Dan on Flaherty
Link to more Dan on Flaherty
Link to Tango on Flaherty
Link to Flaherty’s max velos
Link to velo change study
Link to study on velo and injury
Link to more on velo and injury
Link to Ben on pitcher restrictions
Link to Sheehan on the Mets
Link to team pitching age
Link to Pérez call-up info
Link to FG post on Yandy
Link to Pérez call-up tweet
Link to De La Cruz hit speeds
Link to cat chonker chart
Link to Miley’s Kershaw quote
Link to Petriello on Jansen
Link to reliever JAWS
Link to ESPN on Ohtani
Link to BP on the Mariners
Link to MLBTR on the Mariners
Link to O’s offseason review
Link to Adley extension post
Link to team payrolls
Link to 2005 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Sam’s bat article
Link to M’s bat video

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Ben Lindbergh talks to Will Leitch about the Cardinals’ horrendous start, their baffling decision to bar big free-agent addition Willson Contreras from catching, how Yadier Molina’s legacy looms over the franchise, how Oli Marmol and John Mozeliak have handled the team’s struggles, how the rest of the season might go, and more, along with the Effectively Wild connection in Will’s new novel, The Time Has Come. Then (54:51) Ben talks to David Hrusovsky about wearing a SpongeBob costume to Guardians games and David’s ongoing effort to map every high school baseball field in the country and document the weirdest ones. After that (1:19:58), Ben brings on frequent Stat Blast consultant Ryan Nelson to deliver several Stat Blasts, followed by (1:51:35) a Past Blast from 2004 and a few follow-ups.

Audio intro: Alex Ferrin, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Tom Rhoads, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Katie Woo on Contreras
Link to Katie on Contreras again
Link to Rosenthal on Contreras
Link to playoff odds changes
Link to Marmol-Bucknor feud
Link to Marmol on Contreras
Link to Marmol on booing
Link to more Marmol on booing
Link to Posnanski on Marmol
Link to Jay Jaffe on the Cardinals
Link to Will’s Cardinals podcast
Link to Will’s newsletter
Link to The Time Has Come
Link to EW wiki on weird fields
Link to David/SpongeBob video
Link to David/SpongeBob article
Link to Gonzalez/SpongeBob article
Link to David’s HS fields site
Link to weird field % by state
Link to Uni Watch on David
Link to MLB field sizes
Link to ballpark homogenization info
Link to Topps NOW cards
Link to Ryan’s first EW episode
Link to EW guest data
Link to Stat Blast results/data
Link to Santander Reddit thread
Link to Russell on fouls
Link to 2004 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Royals Pasquatch ad
Link to Pasquatch footage
Link to MLBTR on Greiner
Link to tall-catchers EW episode
Link to Anton’s MLB birthday data
Link to relative age effect wiki
Link to article on MLB RAE
Link to Shane on M’s broadcast

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about more examples of players whose names describe what they do (like Colin Holderman), the return of Justin Verlander, Juan Soto’s overdue hot streak, Keynan Middleton calling out Carlos Correa, the difference between Craig Kimbrel’s leverage and results, and how success lowers the boo threshold, then (16:22) react to excerpts from Ben’s conversation with an MLB exec about rules changes and strikeouts. After that (37:38), they bring on top-tier Patreon supporter Mack Mashburn to discuss his background as a podcaster listener and baseball fan and answer listener emails about the pitch clock and suspense, the next step for home run celebrations, narrowing fair territory at high elevations, the competitive advantage of cloud seeding, whether relievers all long to be starters, whether Baseball Zen isn’t zen enough, MLB Gameday’s recent redesign, why lefties tend to throw slower than righties, the causes of increasing injury rates, the effects of improved pitching machines, a wizard who makes players shorter every time they get hits or strikeouts, and Aristides Aquino’s DRS, plus a Past Blast from 2003 (1:58:40) and follow-ups (2:01:56).

Audio intro: Xavier LeBlanc, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Holderman immaculate inning
Link to Wynn headline 1
Link to Wynn headline 2
Link to Wynn headline 3
Link to Webb comments
Link to Verlander gamer
Link to Middleton comments
Link to low-WPA relievers
Link to high-leverage relievers
Link to Muncy walk-off
Link to Cardinals booing
Link to Ben on rules and strikeouts
Link to baseball drag measurements
Link to Sam on the pitch clock
Link to Sheehan on the pitch clock
Link to Emma on HR celebrations
Link to info on NPB HR celebrations
Link to Grant on “beast mode”
Link to Franco’s ball toss
Link to Sam on unwritten rules
Link to foul lines article
Link to more foul lines info
Link to foul lines column
Link to foul lines verdict
Link to Tal’s Hill story
Link to cloud seeding wiki
Link to McClellan EW interview
Link to “failed starters” Stat Blast
Link to Baumann on Fulmer
Link to Baseball Zen videos
Link to Baseball Zen article
Link to Gameday redesign info
Link to Ben on lefty velo
Link to FG on lefty velo
Link to average LHP velo
Link to average RHP velo
Link to Ben on pitching machines
Link to leg-lengthening story
Link to more on leg lengthening
Link to listener emails database
Link to It’s Christmastown
Link to 2022 RF DRS leaders
Link to Aquino catch 1
Link to Aquino catch 2
Link to Aquino catch 3
Link to Aquino catch 4
Link to 2003 Past Blast source
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Peacock broadcast info
Link to announced attendance article
Link to pitch counts Stat Blast
Link to Turner’s quote
Link to Speier tweet
Link to Zimmer’s velo column
Link to Rickey’s ’51 Williams report
Link to 1886 “velo” use
Link to ESPN on Alabama betting
Link to The Athletic on Alabama betting
Link to Baumann on Alabama betting

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about players being paid for on-field, in-game interviews, pitcher injuries and pitcher call-ups, how low Oakland’s attendance could go (and whether the team might bungle its move to Las Vegas), the NL West race, the AL East’s strength compared to the AL Central’s, which team invented the in-dugout home run ritual, whether the Angels should sign Gary Sánchez, Bryce Harper’s return, the Marlins’ record in one-run games, Colin Holderman and nominative determinism, and more, plus a Past Blast (1:18:13) from 2002.

Audio intro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: The Shirey Brothers, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to report about player payments
Link to Emma on in-game interviews
Link to Ben on in-game interviews
Link to article on Rockies trying
Link to FG’s prospect rankings
Link to Millers game
Link to lowest 2023 attendance
Link to lowest 2022 attendance
Link to lowest 1990-2019 attendance
Link to ’97 White Sox game story
Link to Passan’s A’s tweet
Link to 2014 Dodgers bubbles story
Link to 2013 A’s tunnel story
Link to 2023 HR celebrations
Link to Twins HR celebration
Link to Sam on WS dogpiles
Link to Sam on walk-off celebrations
Link to Mariners trident story
Link to article on AL East strength
Link to depth charts standings
Link to playoff odds
Link to Jay Jaffe on the Yankees
Link to Yankees IL tweet
Link to combined WAR leaderboard
Link to MLBTR on Sánchez
Link to catcher depth charts
Link to Sánchez’s Savant page
Link to article on Sánchez’s defense
Link to Angels coaches tweet
Link to Ben C. on Harper
Link to BaseRuns records
Link to Holderman’s game log
Link to 2002 Past Blast source
Link to 2002 source, cont’d.
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the podcast’s naming conventions, the EW reverse jinx boosting Byron Buxton, the stress of observing Jacob deGrom’s high-wire act, Drew Maggi’s first major league hit (off of Hobie Harris!), high-scoring, high-altitude baseball in Mexico City, MLB editing (and later restoring) an A’s highlight, White Sox fan unrest, Jazz Chisholm Jr. being mic’d up on a broadcast while batting, the standouts toward the top of the combined WAR leaderboard one month into the season, and more, then (1:12:00) Stat Blast about the lowest-career-WAR players ever to lead a team in WAR in one season, the most players ever used in one game at each position, and how the pitch clock has made games not only much shorter, but also much less variable in duration, plus (1:41:32) a Past Blast from 2001 and a few follow-ups and closing thoughts (1:43:39).

Audio intro: Guy Russo, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to deGrom injury info
Link to Ben Clemens on deGrom
Link to Maggi hits video
Link to article on Maggi being optioned
Link to Ben on baseball in Mexico City
Link to Mexico City game stats
Link to Susan’s humidor tweet
Link to Susan’s Mexico City gamer
Link to Susan’s Game 2 gamer
Link to story about A’s fans
Link to tweet about A’s highlight
Link to Ben on in-game interviews
Link to mic’d up Maldonado
Link to White Sox fan rant
Link to James Fegan on Sox fans
Link to James on the Roberts benching
Link to Jay on the White Sox
Link to combined WAR leaderboard
Link to article on Chapman’s defense
Link to FG post on Cole
Link to Cole’s Hicks reaction
Link to Topps NOW cards
Link to Episode 1952 Stat Blast
Link to worst WAR leaders
Link to most players at position links
Link to Ben on the Waxahachie Swap
Link to all-position players
Link to Ben on game times
Link to April 25 games
Link to 1969 time-of-game article
Link to 2001 Past Blast source
Link to contraction plan details
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack
Link to Twins HR celebration
Link to Sam on WS dogpiles
Link to Sam on walk-off celebrations
Link to 2019 Nats celebrations
Link to 2019 Nats article
Link to 2023 HR celebrations
Link to White Sox walk-off gamer
Link to Passan division tweets
Link to A’s walk-off gamer
Link to A’s winless SP record
Link to Ohtani homer
Link to Cruz triple
Link to CBA/start times thread

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