Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the status of the designated hitter and answer a listener email with a Stat Blast about hitters who’ve homered from every spot in the lineup, then (23:11) bring on Cleveland life skills coordinator Jen Wolf to talk about her career path in baseball, what a life skills coordinator for an MLB team does, how her work with players has differed from the norm this year because of the pandemic, the group text she started for women working in baseball operations, the progress women have made in the MLB workforce, the obstacles and challenges they continue to face, how to improve the pipeline of candidates and encourage the league and teams to hire more diverse candidates, and much more.

Audio intro: Other Lives, "We Wait"
Audio interstitial: Math and Physics Club, "In This Together"
Audio outro: Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), "Wait for It"

Link to Passan’s DH report
Link to Ben on the DH
Link to Adam’s home run research
Link to New York Times article on Jen’s group text
Link to Jen’s LinkedIn page
Link to Professor Manning’s Baseball/American Society course
Link to MLB Diversity Fellowship Program
Link to non-cis men in baseball group

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley remind their audience to vote, then banter about this year’s selection of qualifying offers and what the Rays declining Charlie Morton’s option for 2021 signifies for the free-agent market (if anything) before answering listener emails about front-office parity and what teams can do to differentiate themselves from each other, and what pitchers could do to diminish the times-through-the-order effect. Then (45:15) Ben talks to former major leaguer Clay Bellinger about getting the call to the big leagues at age 30, winning three World Series rings in his four years in the majors, watching his son Cody Bellinger win a World Series, the similarities between the dynasty Yankees and the kinda-dynasty Dodgers, when he knew Cody was a special player, becoming a firefighter, and more.

Audio intro: Paul McCartney, "Do it Now"
Audio interstitial: Gillian Welch, "Red Clay Halo"
Audio outro: The Psychedelic Furs, "President Gas"

Link to Vote.org
Link to Ben on the concerning offseason
Link to FanGraphs’ free agent rankings
Link to Jay Jaffe on qualifying offers
Link to Ben Clemens on Morton
Link to research on pitch types and the TTO penalty
Link to Ben on bullpenning and the TTO penalty
Link to Ben’s autographed Bellinger ball
Link to Bellinger’s catch in the 2000 World Series
Link to article on Clay watching Cody’s catch

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the industry-shocking rehiring of Tony La Russa as the manager of the Chicago White Sox nine years after La Russa’s last managerial job and the Detroit Tigers’ hiring of A.J. Hinch immediately after the end of his sign-stealing suspension, then anticipate what could be an ominous offseason.

Audio intro: Silver Jews, "I’m Getting Back into Getting Back into You"
Audio outro: Stars, "Reunion"

Link to James Fegan on La Russa
Link to Michael Baumann on La Russa
Link to La Russa on Tatis
Link to La Russa on Kaepernick
Link to La Russa on Jones
Link to Ben on La Russa’s opener experiment
Link to FanGraphs’ free agent rankings
Link to Evan Drellich on the offseason
Link to Drellich on MLB layoffs
Link to stream Stove League

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller discuss Justin Turner’s positive COVID test, his unsafe decision to return to the field after World Series Game 6, and why his protocol-breaking behavior cast a pall over the World Series celebration, then examine the series’ significance to the legacies of the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw, why the Dodgers were a fun team to follow, why no asterisk is required, the legendary postseason performance of Randy Arozarena, Rays manager Kevin Cash’s much-maligned decision to replace Blake Snell with reliever Nick Anderson in the sixth inning of Game 6, whether bullpen usage has gone too far, and the evolution of what people mean when they refer to “analytics,” plus a Stat Blast about where the Rays’ World Series showing ranks among World Series losers.

Audio intro: Robbie Robertson, "Breakin’ the Rules"
Audio outro: Steve Winwood, "Winner/Loser"

Link to MLB statement about Turner
Link to LA Times story on Turner
Link to Ken Rosenthal on Turner
Link to Jen Mac Ramos on Turner
Link to Bradford William Davis on Turner
Link to Barry Svrluga on Turner
Link to Ben on the Dodgers as familiar figures
Link to Tony Wolfe on Arozarena and the Rays offense
Link to Louisa Thomas on Kershaw
Link to Ben on Cash, Snell, and starters
Link to Ben on bullpenning
Link to research on the TTO penalty
Link to earlier research on the TTO penalty
Link to Russell on the TTO penalty
Link to research on pulling pitchers
Link to Twitter thread on pulling Snell
Link to Nate Silver on capping pitchers
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller break down the exciting fourth and fifth games of the World Series, touching on Brett Phillips’ momentous hit and the Dodgers’ momentous misplays at the end of Game 4, the managerial decisions that led to that wild ending, Manuel Margot’s baserunning and Clayton Kershaw’s pitching in Game 5, and other observations, plus a preview of Game 6 and a possible Game 7.

Audio intro: Guided By Voices, "Run Wild"
Audio outro: Dinosaur Jr., "What Was That"

Link to Dan Szymborski on Game 4’s historical significance
Link to list of top plays by cWPA
Link to Mike Petriello on the biggest World Series plays
Link to Sam on single-play WAR
Link to video of Phillips single
Link to Ben Clemens on Game 4’s managerial decisions
Link to Ben Clemens’ Game 4 gamer
Link to BP’s Game 4 breakdown
Link to video of Margot’s trip around the bases
Link to Jon Tayler’s Game 5 gamer
Link to Ben on the Dodgers as a TV show
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the groundswell of support for Mookie Betts as the best player in baseball, stand up for Mike Trout, and explain why Betts and Trout make an ideal duo as faces of the sport, then examine Yadier Molina’s frustration with Gold Glove voting, the sabermetric reappraisal of Yadi’s Hall of Fame case, and Jeff Luhnow’s latest attempt to proclaim his ignorance of the Astros’ sign-stealing operation before answering a listener email about playing a best-of-seven series continuously (with no breaks between games) and discussing which World Series team has the brighter long-term outlook, the Dodgers or Rays.

Audio intro: Cotton Mather, "The Gold Gone Days"
Audio outro: The Resonars, "Invisible Gold"

Link to Joe Posnanski on Mookie
Link to article about Yelich being better than Trout
Link to Luhnow’s interview
Link to Evan Drellich on Luhnow
Link to story about Molina’s Gold Glove complaint
Link to Bradley’s Gold Glove-related tweet
Link to Ben on catchers’ Cooperstown cases
Link to Ben on Yadi’s secret sauce
Link to SABR Defensive Index details
Link to study on Gold Gloves and defensive stats
Link to Sam on a 50-inning game
Link to Ben on the Dodgers’ blueprint
Link to FanGraphs’ farm rankings
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller discuss the first two games of the World Series, touching on Clayton Kershaw’s Game 1 excellence, the Dodgers’ discipline, Dave Roberts’ pitcher usage, the status of Rays reliever Nick Anderson, the Game 2 breakout of Brandon Lowe, and the outlook for the rest of the series. Then they banter about the differences and similarities between early baseball and the modern game and answer listener emails about the gap between pitchers’ regular-season and postseason ERAs, the best way to lose a series after going down 0-3, the folly of chasing wins by using top relievers while trailing, and when the count is truly even.

Audio intro: Dispatch, "Even"
Audio outro: Dressy Bessy, "Call it Even Later"

Link to Craig Goldstein on Kershaw
Link to Pedro Moura on May/Gonsolin
Link to ESPN World Series roundtable
Link to SABR 50 at 50
Link to Sam on the six types of playoff games
Link to Spink passage
Link to Russell Carleton on keeping leads small
Link to 2019 league splits by count
Link to Ben on shifting against righties
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the exciting seventh games that decided the ALCS and NLCS, the exits of the Astros and Braves, the Braves’ future, how the Dodgers defeated Atlanta, the joy of home run robberies, the Mookie trade revisited, and more, then preview the World Series, focusing on the return of off days, the similarities and differences between the Dodgers and Rays, how we got a matchup between the two top seeds, the dangers of shifting against right-handed hitters, the best way to frame the payroll disparity between Andrew Friedman’s former and current clubs, the Dodgers’ legacy, and the factors that could decide the series.

Audio intro: Billy Joel, "Got to Begin Again"
Audio outro: Vetiver, "More of This"

Link to Ben on NLCS Game 7
Link to Wood’s comments on the Dodgers’ mindset
Link to Eno on the aesthetics of the Rays
Link to postseason home run robberies montage
Link to Ben on the golden age of home run robberies
Link to Smith’s shift-beating grounder
Link to Tango on shifting against righties
Link to Meg on Gonsolin’s look
Link to Tom Ley on trading Mookie
Link to Ben on the Braves’ rebuild in 2019
Link to Baumann on the Braves’ pitching test in 2020
Link to Rob Arthur on postseason fastball velocity
Link to Jay on Arozarena
Link to Dan’s World Series preview
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about a podcast interview that may hinge on the Rays winning the World Series, John Smoltz’s on-air app suggestion, the latest developments in the Dave Roberts and Clayton Kershaw playoff narratives, the Dodgers and Astros on the brink, the long-term outlook for Randy Arozarena, encouraging catcher glove gestures, the White Sox firing Rick Renteria, and Billy Beane possibly calling it quits as a baseball executive. Then (44:00) they bring on Bradford William Davis of the New York Daily News to discuss why and how MLB proceeded with plans to sell tickets to the NLCS and World Series, whether the league has lived up to its public health commitments, the forecast for attendance in 2021, and how and why Bradford is planning to cover the World Series in person.

Audio intro: Randy Newman, "Naked Man"
Audio interstitial: Sam Evian, "Health Machine"
Audio outro: Paul McCartney, "Hunt You Down/Naked/C-Link"

Link to article about “OnlyFanGraphs”
Link to Jeff’s tweet
Link to BP on Kershaw and Roberts
Link to Ben on Roberts in 2019
Link to Meg on the Braves’ brief embarrassment
Link to Ben Clemens on Arozarena
Link to WSJ report about Beane
Link to Ray Ratto on Beane
Link to Susan Slusser on Beane
Link to Brian Phillips on Beane and Morey
Link to story about Renteria
Link to Bradford on MLB and public health officials
Link to Bradford on MLB and community COVID testing
Link to Evan Drellich on fans in the stands
Link to Stephanie Apstein on fans in the stands
Link to Hannah Keyser on fans in the stands
Link to Craig Calcaterra on MLB’s attendance survey
Link to CPBL outfielder video
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about a baseball ad on the radio, revisit the topic of how often teams win when they outhomer their opponents, discuss the brand of baseball on display this postseason, share a Stat Blast about the percentage of runs scored on homers and investigate whether all-or-nothing baseball is as problematic as it’s made out to be, then examine a pair of standout postseason umpiring efforts and answer listener emails about whether groundball pitchers might make a comeback and what should constitute a “match point” in baseball.

Audio intro: Cordovas, "The Game"
Audio outro: They Might Be Giants, "I’ve Got a Match"

Link to Ben on home runs this postseason
Link to Ben on learning to accept strikeouts
Link to Ben on October baseball
Link to article about increase in solo homers
Link to Ben on umpire perfect games
Link to Umpire Scorecards on Pat Hoberg
Link to Close Call Sports on John Tumpane
Link to 2015 article on umpires improving
Link to 2016 article on umpires improving
Link to Matt Trueblood on the Dodgers’ bullpen
Link to Bill James on groundball pitchers
Link to article about groundball pitchers being overrated
Link to Seinfeld tweet about the “final strike”
Link to FanGraphs playoff coverage

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