Episode Details

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about not sleeping on the less star-studded but still exciting AL Central Division Series, a David Fry prediction, the reliever familiarity effect, an abhorrent TV shot, the Yankees’ ALDS victory, when the Royals will return to October, the Braves firing a few coaches, the future of Tropicana Field, and how MLB will weather climate change. Then (1:00:24) Ben clears out a backlog of seven Stat Blasts, on: Jon Berti and starting at a position for the first time in the playoffs; Beau Brieske and equal counts of games started and finished; the evolution of position-player pitching; Aaron Judge and the most- and least-clutch hitters in the postseason relative to the regular season; Luis Tiant, Pete Rose, and the hitters and pitchers who played the longest at the same time without ever facing each other in the regular season; the Trajekt effect and a century of the times-through-the-order penalty; and the average length of playoff series; plus a postscript.

Audio intro: Ian Phillips, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Cory Brent, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Fry prediction report
Link to observer effect wiki
Link to reliever familiarity effect info
Link to Trueblood on the effect
Link to TBS screenshot
Link to Defector on broadcasts
Link to Sheehan on Fry and K.C.
Link to FG preseason playoff odds
Lin