Effectively Wild Episode 2368: F Everything, We’re Doing Five Taters

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about John Brebbia’s return to the big leagues, Kyle Schwarber’s four-homer game, the potential for a position-player-pitcher-assisted five-homer game, Heliot Ramos and dingers on extremely slow pitches, an interminable inning, whether the playoff race is over and, if so, whether that’s an indictment of the 12-team format, and the profusion of recently promoted pitchers potentially in line for postseason starts, then (55:50) answer listener emails about season-ending injuries, accounting for player intention in WAR, “rounding home,” giving pitchers tall shoes, making baseball less random, the worst on-field feeling, pitcher aesthetics, and mid-PA pitching changes, plus (1:36:34) follow-ups.

Audio intro: Beatwriter, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Nate Emerson, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to MLBTR on Brebbia
Link to The Onion headline
Link to four-homer-games query
Link to Schwarber’s dingers
Link to article on Suárez game
Link to Ramos homer
Link to slowest HR pitches
Link to Rob Arthur on exit speed
Link to pitch-count tweet
Link to Nats-Yanks game
Link to pitch-count query
Link to Keyser on the playoff race
Link to Sheehan on the playoff race
Link to Baumann on the playoff race
Link to Andrews on the playoff race
Link to the AP on strikeouts
Link to McLean info
Link to Tong info
Link to Tolle info
Link to Baumann on Rodriguez
Link to Marucci email
Link to Seinfeld clip
Link to possessions info
Link to Ben on mid-PA pitching changes
Link to listener emails database
Link to Rounding Home book
Link to Rounding for Home book
Link to Rounding Home movie
Link to “Rounding Home” headline
Link to Berkson’s paradox
Link to Berkson and baseball