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)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about MacKenzie Gore and how long a player’s career has to be for something he does to be described as a “career high,” Nick Senzel’s proclivity toward catcher’s interference and the Reds’ ice-cold start, the first-place Los Angeles Angels, the hot starts of Mike Trout, Carlos Rodón, Joe Ryan, Kevin Gausman, and others, the aesthetics of swinging strikes vs. called strikes, the return of Ronald Acuña Jr., a Cardinals-Mets beanbrawl, the Orioles embracing an apparent trend toward catchers setting up over the plate and not varying their targets from pitch to pitch, and whether the zombie runner violates the rulebook, then end by following up on a Stat Blast about Byron Buxton, Mike Squires, and the biggest team record differentials with and without certain players.

Audio intro: Spoon, “Don’t Make Me a Target”
Audio outro: The Loud Family, “Spot the Setup”

Link to Gore “career-high” headline
Link to Ben Clemens on Gore
Link to catcher’s interference description
Link to catcher’s interference compilation
Link to Jeff on Ellsbury
Link to Jay Jaffe on Trout
Link to tweet about Trout’s swings
Link to Joe Ryan interview
Link to brawl discipline news
Link to Rob Mains on Mets HBPs
Link to Defector on Stubby Clapp
Link to The Athletic on balls getting away
Link to article on Orioles catchers
Link to Matt Brash clip
Link to Rays catchers tweet
Link to Justin Choi on the Orioles bullpen
Link to Justin on throwing it over the middle
Link to Driveline tweet about misses
Link to Raymond’s post about zombie runners
Link to 2021 MLB rulebook
Link to zombie runner in MLB glossary
Link to updated Stat Blast data
Link to Squires Wiki
Link to NBC story on Squires
Link to article on lefty catchers
Link to article on 1915 A’s firesale
Link to Passan’s Buxton tweet
Link to article about Buxton’s part-time role
Link to Neil Paine on Buxton

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the unsealing of the so-called “Yankees Letter” and what, if anything, it revealed about the past prevalence of sign stealing, the end of NPB pitcher Roki Sasaki’s consecutive outs streak and Matt Shoemaker’s bid for perfection, the White Sox’s injury-plagued, disconcerting slump to start the season, Michael Conforto’s season-ending surgery, whether Belli and Yeli (Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich) are or might soon be back to their old selves, further research about the behavior of the baseball and the low-offense start to the season, and whether Ángel Hernández’s subpar plate umpiring has made them converts to the cause of robo umps, plus a Stat Blast (1:03:29) about the significance of the Twins’ record differential with and without Byron Buxton.

Audio intro: Beastie Boys, “An Open Letter to NYC”
Audio outro: Billy Bragg, “The Buck Doesn’t Stop Here No More”

Link to text of the Yankees Letter
Link to statements on the letter
Link to Jeff Passan’s thread on the letter
Link to SNY report on the letter
Link to Evan Drellich on the letter
Link to The Athletic’s 2020 report
Link to EW narrative episode about sign stealing
Link to latest minor league FA draft
Link to Mike Petriello on Yelich
Link to Thomas Harrigan on Bellinger
Link to Sarris and Rosenthal on the ball
Link to Rob Arthur on the ball
Link to Alan Nathan on the ball
Link to player comments on the ball
Link to Ben Clemens on bullpens and offense
Link to Playoff Odds changes since Opening Day
Link to UmpScorecard for Hernández game
Link to UmpScorecards site page for Hernández
Link to Joe Girardi comments on Hernández
Link to story on Hernández’s lawsuit
Link to video of Schwarber ejection
Link to Passan’s Buxton tweet
Link to Stathead
Link to Stathead query about blowout shutouts
Link to Stat Blast data
Link to Luke Hooper on Buxton
Link to Gonny Jomes EW episode
Link to Gonny Jomes EW wiki page
Link to first Jeremy Frank tweet
Link to second Jeremy Frank tweet
Link to third Jeremy Frank tweet
Link to Kawasaki video

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