Effectively Wild Episode 2383: How to Call a Collapse

Sat Oct 04 2025

Ben Lindbergh brings on Michael Baumann, who immediately makes Ben regret it by subjecting him to a lyrical ode to Effectively Wild inspired by the Taylor Swift song “Wood.” Then they play “College Baseball Player or Make and Model of Car?

Transcript

Ben Lindbergh (0:00)

Well, it's moments like these that make you ask, how can you not be horny about baseball? Every take hot and hotter. Entwining and a butting. Watch him climb big mountain.

Jason Benetti (0:13)

Nothing's about nothing.

Ben Lindbergh (0:14)

Every stitch wet with sweat breaking balls Back door, me on Effectively Wild out. Can you not be horny? When it comes to podcasts, how can you not be horny? Hello, and welcome to episode 2383 of Effectively Wild, a baseball podcast from Fangraphs, presented by our Patreon supporters. I am Ben Lindbergh of the Ringer, joined now not by Meg Riley of fangraphs, who is on the mend, but not yet mended, and filling in for her in multiple professional capacities this week, including on this episode of Effectively Wild, it's Michael Bauman of Fan Grafts. Hello, Michael.

Michael Bauman (0:58)

Yeah, I've been spending this week being the emergency backup goalie from an editorial standpoint because Meg has been sick and Matt has been. He spent all week on a train back and forth to Yankee Stadium.

Ben Lindbergh (1:11)

So, man, that's. That's a lot of power to hand to you. The keys to WordPress.

Michael Bauman (1:15)

The first thing I told Matt was I was drunk with power.

Ben Lindbergh (1:18)

But, yeah, they don't give me that kind of edit access at fangraphs. I can edit my own podcast posts and that's it. They don't trust me with editing anyone else. Nor should they. I'm not actually on the fangraph staff. You are. But still, that is a lot of responsibility, a lot of harm you could do.

Michael Bauman (1:36)

It was very much like the first episode or first season episode of Star Trek the Next Generation where Captain Picard and Commander Riker get trapped on the surface and Geordi is left alone in command of the Enterprise and everybody's like, what the hell's going on?

Ben Lindbergh (1:52)

Season one was rough at times. Yeah. If you had one minute in the pool for how long it would take one of us to reference Star Trek. Congrats. You win. So we are going to talk about the playoffs. Go figure. Today we'll talk a little bit about the series that are concluded and the series that are about to begin. And I will be joined a little later by the great Jason Benetti, voice of the Tigers, TV voice who, unfortunately, that voice has been silenced for October because he's not doing baseball and we are all the poorer for it. But he is doing baseball on this episode of Effectively Wild. So we'll talk about the Tigers near death experience and how they can bounce back from that and what it was like to call a historic collapse and just their completely predictable, normal path to the AL division series. I assume that you have a prelude to the actual baseball banter.

Summary

Effectively Wild Episode 2383: How to Call a Collapse

Date: October 4, 2025
Hosts: Ben Lindbergh (The Ringer), Michael Bauman (FanGraphs)
Guest: Jason Benetti (Detroit Tigers TV Announcer)

Main Theme / Purpose

This episode navigates the chaos and emotional whiplash of MLB’s 2025 playoff wild card round, with a spotlight on the Detroit Tigers’ historic, near-catastrophic collapse—only for them to rally and advance. The hosts also break down the nature of calling such collapses as a broadcaster, preview Division Series matchups, and consider the psychology of team fandom when family ties and rivalries are involved. Special guest Jason Benetti lends an insider’s view of broadcasting through a rollercoaster season with the Tigers.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Opening Banter: Wild Lyrics and Games

Michael Bauman steps in for Meg Rowley, opens with a raunchy, baseball-podcast-inspired lyric riff, parodying Taylor Swift’s song referencing Travis Kelce and podcasting culture.
Ben gamely endures, joking:

“I’m just gonna have to bleep this whole section.” (05:02)
They then play “College Baseball Player or Car Model?” where Ben pitches a perfect game—correctly identifying all as Bauman lobs obscure global car makes and college players’ names.

Notable Quote:
Bauman after a string of lewd lyric parodies:

"He makes all the D’s before seem timid and mild when he bends me over and goes effectively wild." (05:02)

2. Wild Card Recap: Emotional Collapses, Quiet Series, and Umpiring Outrage

Playoff Results and Vibes

Thursday saw three elimination games: Guardians vs. Tigers, Padres vs. Cubs, Red Sox vs. Yankees.
The Tigers, Cubs, and Yankees advanced—mostly expected outcomes given matchups.

Tigers-Guardians Series: The Whiplash of Collapse and Reprieve

The Tigers suffered a historic collapse, squandering a 15.5-game lead—yet rebounded immediately, knocking out Cleveland in the wild card series.
Hosts ponder: Does this erase the collapse’s sting? Do Guardians fans feel proud, robbed, or both?
Bauman observes:

“The Tigers don’t really have to wallow in the indignity… they vanquished the team that unseated them and advanced anyway.” (19:28)

“Even if losing… you got a really exciting stretch run and a playoff series out of this. If that hadn’t happened, the conversation would be the Emmanuel Clase gambling scandal, the Shane Bieber trade, the impending trade of Steven Kwan. At least… ambivalence is so much better than what it looked like this team was going to be at like three weeks ago.” (18:54)

Padres vs. Cubs: The Bullpen Paradox & Ump Show

San Diego’s vaunted bullpen is rendered moot; you need to have a lead to deploy it.

“It does require that you take the lead at some point. That’s… the Achilles heel of the great bullpen.” (22:42)
Cubs’ defense lauded as “the best up the middle defense in baseball.” (25:58)
A blown strike call against Xander Bogaerts (9th inning) becomes a flashpoint—hosts relive the rage:

“It was low. It was obviously low. It was visually low in the moment.” (26:31)
They discuss whether MLB benefits from October umpiring controversies to sell the coming ABS challenge system.

Red Sox vs. Yankees: Cam Schlittler Arrives

Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler’s dominant, record-setting start is the talk of the round.
Ben:

"He set the all time record for strikeouts in a winner-take-all game… eight-plus scoreless innings, 12-plus K’s, no walks... instantly a true Yankee and a franchise legend." (35:19)
A mini-debate erupts over Derek Jeter’s legendary “dive into the stands” defensive play vs. Ryan McMahon’s just-attempted, more hazardous catch.

3. Fan Identity When the Family Joins the Rival

Discussion of Cam Schlittler’s Massachusetts/Red Sox roots, now pitching for the Yankees, with family support.
Debate: Can one really flip fan loyalty for a close relative?

"If I'd grown up a hardcore Red Sox fan and my brother was pitching for the Yankees… I don't think I could bring myself to do better than, well, hope he gets a respectable no decision." (57:36)
Ben points out that when your child is drafted, developed, and supported by an organization, genuine affection toward that team often grows—financial, emotional, and practical realities trumping childhood tribalism.

4. Division Series Preview: Drama, Matchups, and Narrative Stakes

Most Exciting Series Rankings

#1: Phillies vs. Dodgers
- “This feels like a Yankees-Braves World Series from when we were kids.” (51:23)
- Star power, best rotations, overdue direct October matchup.
#2: Yankees vs. Blue Jays
- Both teams have something to prove, high star quotient.
- Blue Jays as perpetual “pick to click” who haven’t won a single playoff game in years.
- The “battle to finally put postseason struggles behind them.”
#3: Brewers vs. Cubs
- First-ever playoff meeting between two NL Central mainstays—local rivalry, laundry vs. star power, “familiarity breeds contempt.”
#4: Tigers vs. Mariners
- Lower general excitement, but Bauman finds the local angle (Skubal is a Seattle alum) and the humor in the idea of a team recovering from the “biggest collapse ever” to go on a run.

5. Special Segment: Interview with Jason Benetti (Detroit Tigers TV Voice)

(Starts ~76:30)

Journey Through the Collapse

Benetti describes the emotional ride:

“You can’t spell Detroit Tigers Wild Card without TLDR… that’s the whole season right now.” (77:45)
He points to the clubhouse “chasing bad money… the feeling that you’ve lost something you had that you should still have. A feeling of loss is the toughest thing for humans to cope with.” (79:39)
On the point when it became real:

“When Cleveland first showed up… it was six and a half [games]. If they win all of the games, they win the division.” (80:52)

Broadcaster’s Role in a Collapse

Assessing the line between honesty and optimism:

“If I sit there and tell people the Tigers are going to make the playoffs… I am not telling the truth.” (96:10)
Benetti relied on gallows humor and, at times, ceremonial laughs (like rain delay Qs), but stresses you “earn” the right to do that by “nailing the serious moments.” (101:36)

Player Insights & Clubhouse Vibes

Gives scouting notes for new-to-Tigers viewers; lauds Dylan Dingler’s defense and throwing arm, the “closer 1 and 2” tandem of Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan, and notes Riley Greene’s approach and AJ Hinch’s managerial mind games.

Notable Moment – John Brebbia’s Reliever Question

Benetti shares clubhouse favorite Brebbia’s memorably ridiculous hypothetical:

“The year is 2038… all of the relievers survived and have been thriving since the outbreak. AJ, you have a beloved pet owl named Owl Capone… which relievers are you taking [on the rescue mission] and why?” (94:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

Bauman’s Lyric Double Entendre:

“He makes all the D’s before seem timid and mild when he bends me over and goes effectively wild.” (05:02)
Ben after the Car/Player Game:

“I feel euphoric. Exuberant… I had a Cam Schlittler game!” (11:42)
Ben, on Guardians Fans Processing Collapse:

“Do you warm yourself by the fire of the memory of having unseated the Tigers… or does that feel like kind of a paper—not Tiger—a paper division title…?” (17:21)
Bauman, on Cubs Defense:

“It’s best up the middle defense in baseball. I say I think, I don’t think that’s especially controversial.” (25:58)
Bauman, venting umpire rage:

“The thing that umpires do that drives me the most nuts… it just seems like such ump show stuff.” (27:49)
Ben, on the Padres’ playoff era:

“So much effort, so much expense… and they have not been fully rewarded for that. It’s ultimately deflating.” (33:06)
Benetti, on being a broadcaster in a collapse:

“I became the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg in the Great Gatsby… just watching all of it and kind of silently judging.” (98:33)
Ben, on hometown loyalty:

“When your child is drafted, developed, and supported by [a rival], genuine affection toward that team often grows—financial, emotional, and practical realities trumping childhood tribalism.” (62:03 paraphrased)
Benetti, on the Tigers’ story:

“We still don’t know what this pocket of Tigers’ time is going to end up being… who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” (83:05)
Bauman, on Brewers/Cubs rivalry:

“There’s like, very much a familiarity breeds contempt, you know, Pawnee-Eagleton type thing going on here.” (68:00)

Important Timestamps

00:00–06:15: Introductions, musical parody, podcast humor
06:37–11:42: College Baseball Player or Car Model game
12:38–19:28: Playoff wild card round, Tigers-Guardians collapse and psychology
22:01–34:11: Padres-Cubs series analysis, umpiring blowup, Cubs defense, the futility of great bullpens in elimination
35:19–44:00: Yankees-Red Sox, Schlittler’s feat, defensive gems
46:58–55:30: Division Series previews, stakes for each team
57:36–66:01: The family/rivalry loyalty debate (Red Sox family roots, your child joins the Yankees)
76:36–106:10: Jason Benetti interview—broadcaster’s perspective on collapse, bullpen woes, clubhouse persona, and prepping for the division series
106:30–End: Patreon credits, closing banter

Flow, Language, and Tone

The episode is alternately irreverent (opening lyrics segment), deeply analytical (breakdowns of playoff games and bullpen construction), and emotionally reflective (Benetti’s perspective). The hosts maintain their signature wry, thoughtful style—mixing pop culture tangents, sharp humor, and nerdy baseball stats. Guest Jason Benetti brings empathy, candor, and wit to discussing the Tigers’ near-collapse and resultant playoff run.

Takeaway

Effectively Wild 2383 balances humor and heavy analysis in dissecting MLB’s wild card shakeup and psychological aftermath of a historic collapse that is, perhaps, already “undone.” Through sharp game analysis, fan psychology, and behind-the-booth perspective, the episode prepares listeners for the emotional and narrative stakes ahead in the Division Series—reminding us how quickly fortunes and feelings can shift in baseball’s postseason crucible.