Effectively Wild Episode 1756: Ichabod Crane Comes to Bat

October 7, 2021

EWFI

Meg Rowley and guest co-host Eric Longenhagen banter about Walker Buehler’s unusual approach to opening beers and their own past dental emergencies before recapping the AL Wild Card game. They consider what went wrong for the Yankees, and assess the Red Sox’s good starters, potent lineup, and shaky defense, as well as Nick Pivetta and Garrett Richards. Next they shift to the Red Sox/Rays ALDS matchup and consider the state of Tampa Bay’s pitching, the Rays’ talented hitters, and whether playoff experience (or a lack thereof) will matter for Tampa’s young starters. After that it’s on to the Astros and White Sox, featuring an embarrassment of good hitters including Kyle Tucker and Luis Robert, plus Houston’s talented pitching and Chicago’s dominant bullpen. Then they wrap up with thoughts on the NL Wild Card and play a game of stumpo with Arizona Fall League rosters.

Audio intro: Death Cab for Cutie, “Crooked Teeth”
Audio outro: The Decemberists, “The Sporting Life”

The FanGraphs Prospects twitter account
Arizona Fall League rosters
Link to Walker Buehler’s tweet about opening twist-off beers with his teeth
Link to Ben Clemens’ NL Wild Card game recap
Link to Dan Szymborski’s Red Sox/Rays ALDS Preview
Link to Jake Mailhot’s White Sox/Astros ALDS Preview
Link to Ben’s White Sox/Astros ALDS Game 1 Recap
Link to Jay Jaffe’s piece on Gerrit Cole
Link to Ben on the math behind pulling Nathan Eovaldi
Link to the FanGraphs staff playoff predictions
Link to Effectively Wild Episode 1454, Eddie Robinson’s first EW appearance
Link to Effectively Wild Episode 1629, Eddie Robinson’s second EW appearance
Link to Patrick Dubuque’s playoff proposal
Claire Smith on Dusty Baker