Effectively Wild Episode 2381: Week in (P)review

Baseball Podcast from FanGraphs
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Hosts: Ben Lindbergh (The Ringer), Meg Rowley (FanGraphs)

Episode Overview

This episode kicks off the MLB postseason by recapping the final week of the regular season, examining key storylines, late-season drama, and statistical oddities. Ben and Meg discuss the razor-thin margins that defined playoff races, the implications of small attendance gains, emotional wins and heartbreaks, managerial quotes, and what excites them about this year’s playoff field. Filled with the pod’s trademark blend of statistics, dry wit, and storytelling, it's a rich digest for both statheads and fans awaiting the postseason’s unpredictability.

Key Discussions & Insights

1. MLB Attendance: “13 More Fans Per Game”

[03:50 - 13:13]

• MLB sent a press release proclaiming attendance growth: 71.4 million fans, the 3rd straight year of increases — but the increase was only about 13 more fans per game compared to the previous year.
• Ben expresses wry amusement at the magnified PR:

  “The headline is essentially, ‘we drew 13 more fans per game on average this year. Go us.’” (06:30)

• Discussion of mitigating factors: minor league stadiums for some teams, economic conditions, and positive trends in TV/streaming demographics.
• Meg contextualizes post-pandemic recovery, noting the bounce-back in attendance and the “squishiness” of ticket counting, but overall sees long-term health positively:

  “I think the lack of retrenchment is inherently positive... The official average attendance per game eclipsed 2019 in 2023. So the new rules helped.” (09:41–09:50)

2. Final Weekend Chaos: Last-Minute Playoff Spots & Memorable Moments

[13:14 - 27:58]

• The last weekend of the regular season provided major drama, heartbreak, and heroics:
  • Mike Trout helped eliminate the Astros with key home runs, dashing Houston’s hopes despite their easy schedule.
  • Standout plays: Noelvi Marte's defensive heroics, Alejandro Kirk’s grand slam, Sedan Rafaela’s walk-off triple, Guardians’ clincher via walk-off HBP by CJ Kayfus (with 1B Gabriel Arias almost making a baserunning blunder, saved by Sandy Alomar Jr.).
• Ben:

  “There’s no boring way to clinch a playoff spot in the last weekend or last game of the season. However you win, you’ll take it and you’ll be happy to have it.” (13:14)

• The emotional rollercoaster: Some fanbases tasted ecstasy, others agony (especially Mets and Astros).
• Meg admits to being relieved that base coaches can prevent historic mistakes:

  “The relief at being spared watching him realize that he could have sealed it and then failing to do so... I am so grateful for that.” (17:03)

3. Astros’ and Mets’ Falls: Understanding Collapse and Fan Pain

[17:58 – 41:25]

• Astros: After a long stretch of dominance, Houston “ran out of guys” due to injuries and didn’t choke so much as fade. Meg:

  “The playoff field benefits from there being different teams... There needs to be a rejuvenation... It’s good to have stalwarts... but you don’t want it to be the exact same set of teams all the time.”

• Mets: Their fourth last-day elimination in 30 years, stung by late collapses and missed opportunity despite a high payroll and star power.

  “What happened to the Mets here?... It’s confounding because of course they had injuries too... but it was still the case that they just seemed to be a better team than the team that surpassed them.” (29:12)

• On fan pain and online mockery, Meg advocates empathy:

  “It never feels good to be the joke. We can acknowledge the humor... but we could wait a day to find it so funny.” (31:49)

• Looking forward: Both hosts are bullish on the Mets’ future given young pitching and a strong farm, even as the front office turns over.

4. Tigers’ Historic Collapse and Rotation Strategies

[23:03 – 27:58]

• Tigers’ late-season nosedive was historically bad, but as they still clinched a spot, they can write over the disappointment with postseason success.
• Discussion of teams holding back top starters for the playoffs even if it means sacrificing home-field or final week wins:
  • Example: “The Tigers... probably correctly calculated it’s better to save Tarek Skubal.” (25:44)
• Strategic tanking for wild-card seeding: Sometimes the 6-seed might be more desirable than 5, due to opponent matchup.

5. Playoff Field Parity & Entertainment

[43:31 – 48:53]

• With no “super teams,” parity reigns: only 14 wins separate the best and worst playoff teams, making for a more open and (possibly) random tournament.
• The Guardians, Reds, Dodgers, and Tigers discussed as “scariest” relative to their records.
• Meg on Reds ace Hunter Greene:

  “I’m excited for Hunter Greene, this version, to get to pitch in the Wild Card, because his season has been very special... And it’s funny because... he only threw 107 innings... but in terms of all the other stuff, very good year, really encouraging.” (42:15)

6. Guardians’ Offense: Myth vs. Reality

[45:02 – 52:25]

• Ben refutes the notion that the Guardians’ slappy, low-strikeout, low-power offense is an underrated secret:

  “I find it kind of annoying with any team when we have to pretend that however they’re winning is the way to win or that they’ve unlocked some sort of secret... It’s not always some special sauce, right?” (47:30)

• Meg notes every good lineup should have “one fully operational Stephen Kwan,” not a whole team of them, emphasizing the need for offensive biodiversity.

7. Ruminating on Tiebreaker Games

[59:21 – 65:16]

• The lack of game 163 tiebreakers is lamented for the drama lost, but the hosts debate whether the current system is more “fair,” as it rewards head-to-head record over one-off playoff randomness:
  • Ben: "You can defend this current system... Well, it's sort of representative of how you played all season. So you dug your grave."
  • Meg: "The one game thing is... anathema to the whole project of regular season baseball."

8. Managerial Narratives: Alex Cora and Selective Memory

[65:17 – 76:42]

• Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s post-clinch quote—“Let’s be honest, nobody thought we were going to make it to October” ([67:23])—is debunked with the actual record: FG staff and preseason odds were high on Boston.
• Meg: "We were pretty horny for the Red Sox." (67:44)
• The psychological reality that losing hurts more/lasts longer than winning is celebrated.

9. Playoff Preview: What’s to Watch For

[84:43 – 99:21]

• Excitement for the first round’s divisional rivalries: Tigers–Guardians, Yankees–Red Sox.
• The joy of having classic teams back and the randomness of this year’s postseason.
• The possibility of an all “never-won” World Series (Mariners, Padres, Brewers, Guardians) and the empathy among fanbases with long championship droughts.
  • Ben: "Would it be more painful to lose that way... or would it ease the pain because... a wrong has been righted?"
  • Meg: "I think it would ease the pain. Part of it is that I just like those teams, man. I like that Brewers team. I like that Padres team..."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On MLB Attendance Growth:
  “It's as if they sent a press release to brag, like, we got 13 more fans to come per game this year.” – Ben Lindbergh, [06:26]

• On Last-Weekend Drama:
  “There’s no boring way to clinch a playoff spot in the last weekend... However you win, you’ll take it.” – Ben, [13:14]

• On Guardians’ Style of Play:
  “...this Guardians offense is maybe immune to people looking at it and saying, ah, they have found the secrets. No, it’s like... if they win it will probably be in spite of the offense.” – Ben, [47:35]

• On Playoff Parity:
  “It doesn’t matter anymore... Now if anything, that only enhances the competition, the sense that anything can happen.” – Ben, [86:26]

• On Empathy Among Suffering Fanbases:
  “Would it be more painful to lose that way... or would it ease the pain because... a wrong has been righted?” – Ben, [95:03]
  “I think it would ease the pain...” – Meg, [97:26]

Important Timestamps

• [03:50] – MLB Attendance press release dissection
• [13:14] – Weekend playoff drama and notable clinching moments
• [17:58] – Astros’ elimination and reflections on playoff churn
• [29:12] – Deep-dive on the Mets’ collapse and fan empathy
• [41:25] – Playoff field, parity, and team preview
• [45:02] – ‘Scariest’ playoff teams and matchup dynamics
• [59:21] – Debate: Are modern tiebreakers “more fair”?
• [65:17] – Alex Cora’s “nobody believed in us” claimed vs. reality
• [84:43] – Series preview: what excites Ben & Meg about this postseason
• [95:03] – Would it hurt more for your team to lose a “first-time” WS?
• [109:47] – Custom outro song summarizing Effectively Wild in verse

Episode Tone & Style

• Witty, playful, and stats-driven
• Empathetic toward both fans and players
• Self-aware, occasionally self-deprecating
• Deeply invested in baseball’s quirks, history, and human drama

Whether you’re catching up before the first pitch or just want the season’s closing drama in digest form, this episode distills the essence of October baseball: randomness, heartbreak, the magic of big moments – and a little bit of humility from everyone, including the hosts themselves.