Effectively Wild Episode 2021: Always Be Closing

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Shohei Ohtani’s latest exploits and career-best WAR pace, the Angels’ playoff hopes, Corbin Carroll’s physique, and Mickey Moniak’s fluky-but-fun hot streak, then (20:55) answer listener emails about how big a scandal it would be if Ohtani turned out to be two twins, when managers would choose to take in-game mulligans, and which stat should replace errors in the traditional line score, followed by a Meet a Major Leaguer segment (54:00) featuring Keaton Winn and Ricky Karcher (as well as Joe Jacques and Stan Musial), Stat Blasts (1:18:45) about Zack Greinke and the widest pitch-speed spreads and Jo Adell and the players with the biggest career gaps between their Triple-A and MLB production, plus a Past Blast (1:39:30) from 2021.

Audio intro: Dave Armstrong and Mike Murray, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Gabriel-Ernest, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ohtani’s oppo homers
Link to Ohtani oppo graphic
Link to Ohtani’s Statcast record
Link to story on Ohtani’s series
Link to Ohtani’s HR lead
Link to Blum’s bat tweet
Link to Ohtani’s streak
Link to Neil Paine on Ohtani
Link to Ohtani sweepers by start
Link to Ohtani sweepers vs. LHB
Link to FG playoff odds
Link to Angels wRC+ leaders
Link to The Athletic on Moniak
Link to minor league chase leaders
Link to MLB swing-rate leaders
Link to article on Carroll
Link to Dan Bern’s Ohtani song
Link to Canseco conspiracy
Link to Atlantic League EW episode
Link to Craig/Báez play
Link to Minor’s 200th strikeout story
Link to other Ben on line scores
Link to modern box score story
Link to EW emails database
Link to list of saves in debuts
Link to MLB.com on Winn’s debut
Link to McCovey Chronicles on Winn
Link to story on Giants bullpen WAR
Link to toothpaste/Sriracha tweet
Link to Karcher interview
Link to Karcher pitch plot
Link to Karcher article 1
Link to Karcher article 2
Link to Karcher article 3
Link to Karcher article 4
Link to Jacques call-up article 1
Link to Jacques call-up article 2
Link to Jacques debut play
Link to Jacques interview
Link to Jacques other interview
Link to Musial/Jacques query
Link to Musial story
Link to 2023 new debuts
Link to Topps Now cards
Link to pitch-speed-spread leaders
Link to new Greinke stories article
Link to EW episode on Greinke stories
Link to active-pitcher spreads
Link to Simon pitch spreads
Link to Padilla pitch spreads
Link to consecutive-pitches Stat Blast
Link to Lucas Apostoleris on Twitter
Link to Triple-A/MLB gaps spreadsheet
Link to Triple-A/MLB hypothetical email
Link to intra-season AAA/MLB gap Blast
Link to Ben on the majors/minors gap
Link to Kenny Jackelen on Twitter
Link to Home Run Challenge press release
Link to Home Run Challenge leaderboard
Link to donate to Home Run Challenge
Link to 2021 Past Blast source
Link to Ben on moving the mound
Link to Ben/Rob on the results
Link to David Lewis’s Twitter
Link to David Lewis’s Substack