Effectively Wild Episode 2391: “It’s the World Series, Baby” FanGraphs Baseball Podcast (October 23, 2025) Hosts: Meg Rowley (A), Ben Clemens (B, guesting for Ben Lindbergh)

Overview

This episode delivers an in-depth, stats-forward breakdown of the just-concluded ALCS Game 7 between the Mariners and Blue Jays, the quirky decision-making of managers, and, most prominently, a rich, nerdy, and lively preview of the 2025 World Series: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays. Meg and Ben dissect roster makeup, pitching approaches, bullpen vulnerabilities, matchup tactics, lineups, defensive wrinkles, and managerial skillsets, all with a heavy dose of Effectively Wild’s trademark wit, insight, and analytical rigor.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Dissecting the Mariners' ALCS Game 7 Loss

• Opening Reactions & Mariners' Heartbreak

  • Meg processes the end of the Mariners’ playoff run, expressing disappointment but highlighting the thrill of Game 7: “It was a thriller. Can say that about Game 7.” (00:53)

• The Bizardo Decision

  • Questioned Choice: Meg and Ben critique Mariners manager Dan Wilson’s choice to bring in Edward Bizardo (a lower-leverage reliever) rather than top arms (e.g., Matt Brash or Andres Muñoz) at a crucial moment:
    • “I feel like you and I both first guessed it rather than second guessed it because it just didn't make a lot of sense to me...in a game where the Mariners were really focused on having their best pitchers pitch a lot and important moments to have definitely the worst pitcher who pitched for the Mariners all night face the J's best hitter in the biggest spot.” – Ben (03:03)
    • “You shouldn't put yourself in a situation where that can happen...you should put yourself in a situation where Andres Muñoz is there. And Andres Muñoz has probably never said that sentence: ‘I threw my best fastball and he hit a home run.’” – Ben (06:25)
  • Managerial Rigidity: They criticize the too-rigid bullpen roles, suggesting other playoff managers adjust for matchup, not inning. Meg wonders if some of Wilson's moves are front-office directed rather than pure managerial instinct.

• JP Crawford’s Bunt

  • Examined as a “catastrophic decision” by the analyst side of Meg’s brain, but the fan side is merely grateful, “at least he didn't ground into a double play.” (15:17)

2. National TV Announcing: Aesthetic Gripes

• Meg and Ben riff on John Smoltz’s insistence on “contact” and “small ball” despite copious evidence (and live broadcasting of) home runs:
  • “...you should engage with the game that you're calling. And he would be making that point as various players on both teams would be hitting these tanks...I've said this on the pod before. If you have an aesthetic preference for contact, that's fine...But being a grump about it...is where Smoltz really runs into trouble.” – Meg (11:20 & 13:12)
• “Announcers are just obsessed with small ball...It's like some mind virus that gets into you when you switch to the booth.” – Ben (11:52)

3. World Series Preview: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays

A. Pitching Rotations: Contrasts and Questions

• Dodgers: The Juggernaut Rotation

  • Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Ohtani: All dominant, delivering length and stuff. “So it's like Snell is amazing. Yamamoto, great. Glasnow has been pretty steady...Ohtani is Ohtani” – Meg (20:25)
  • Ben marvels at the new, efficient, deep-in-games Snell and the overwhelming top-to-bottom strength.

• Blue Jays: Gausman, Trey Savage, Bieber, Scherzer

  • Gausman/Savage: Both righties with devastating splitters and reverse platoon splits, making it less effective to simply stack lefties against them.
  • Pitcher Usage & Matchups:
    • “Both those guys have big reverse splits. Gausman has it over 10 year career...Savage is a similar kind of pitcher.” – Ben (21:43)
    • Dodgers’ challenge: Value in patience, but both Gausman and Savage are specifically tough on lefties; the standard platoon approach may not pay off.
  • Bieber & Scherzer: Seen as question marks due to recent inconsistency/injury.

B. Defensive and Lineup Intrigue

• Dodgers’ Infield Dilemma with Muncie
  • Max Muncie is an offensive asset but is exposed at 3B against a righty/ball-in-play team like Toronto.
  • Meg and Ben discuss possible defensive tweaks: shifting Hernandez to 3B for D, benching Muncie at times, but likely “they’ll stick with Muncie.” (28:29)
• Blue Jays Lineup Flexibility
  • Return of Bichette: Likely to DH due to knee injury, shuffle infield/outfield, modest drop in D but crucial to offense: “I think I would take like 95% Bichette, honestly, and play DH.” – Ben (45:56)
• Both Teams’ Benches
  • Dodgers: “There are some bad bats on that bench...Not going to start Justin Dean in a World Series game.” – Meg (27:13)
  • Jays: Limited pinch-hitting options; much rests on stars’ health and output.

C. Bullpens: Strengths & Weaknesses

• Toronto’s “Persistent Weakness”
  • “The bullpen is really awful. And so I think that lots of times John Schneider is going to be looking down at his lineup card and it's like, okay, do you want to let Shane Bieber face Shohei Ohtani for a third time? Like, no. Okay, cool. What are my alternatives?” – Ben (34:56)
  • Blue Jays pen has struggled badly: “Through two rounds [they have] a 5.52 ERA, 5.70 FIP...and is walking five batters per nine.” – Ben (34:25)
• Dodgers: Heavily reliant on starters and lone dominant reliever Roki Sasaki, who is better as a reliever than a starter at this point (“I think he's the best pitcher on the Dodgers other than them [the starters]” – Ben (36:41)) due to fastball shape and control, but thriving on his splitter in short stints.

D. Offensive/Philosophical Matchups

• Blue Jays’ Aggression
  • “They were one of the most aggressive teams on in zone swing rate. And I think that this strategy makes a lot of sense. It's basically if you get the two strikes, you're going to have a bad time.” – Ben (40:33)
  • Potential Catch-22: Aggressive approach can keep contact high, but sacrifices opportunity to run up pitch counts on the Dodgers’ aces and get to weak middle relief.
• Dodgers: Simply Elite
  • Dodgers’ lineup and rotation are so strong, “it's tough to find new things [to write]; they're incredible.” – Ben (29:09)
  • But if Jays can “do a great job of shutting down the Dodgers, I bet you they will have done pretty well against the so-so guys [bottom of order].” – Ben (31:25)
  • Key indicator: “If we're hearing about postseason Enrique Hernandez...they're in a bad way.” – Meg (31:39)

E. Running Game & Small Ball

• Both teams not poised to exploit run game weaknesses: Blue Jays rarely run; Dodgers’ Will Smith can be run on but it’s not Toronto’s style. “That feels like kind of a lost opportunity for them to put some pressure on the Dodgers.” – Ben (63:39)

4. Managerial Matchup: Dave Roberts vs. John Schneider

• Roberts gets credit for tactical flexibility, adapting to strengths and weaknesses of his roster:

  • “He is just pretty good at saying, ‘I want my best guys to have the ball more often’...He’s good at using his tools.” – Ben (55:44)
  • “I’m very impressed by his ability to kind of switch up the way that he's managed to fit his teams...Some of that is experience...” – Ben (57:08)

• Schneider: Less sample, fewer moving parts, but hasn't impressed (nor erred egregiously). May be at a disadvantage in terms of roster chess.

5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Mariners’ Managerial Choices

  • “At the time, I was like, how does this make sense?” – Ben on Bizardo (09:35)

• On Playoff Small Ball Announcers

  • “It’s like some mind virus that gets into you when you switch to the booth.” – Ben on broadcasters' obsession with contact (11:52)

• On the Blue Jays Being Underdogs

  • “I feel like they’re getting this...lovable kind of vibes. But yeah, that...sells them really short...these are both big market teams who play like big market teams and do big market things.” – Ben (70:30)

• On Enjoying Alejandro Kirk Again

  • “He is...such a great athlete to point to when you’re trying to get people to understand the different bodies and shapes that athleticism can manifest in.” – Meg (66:40)

• On Bad Baseball Commercials

  • “Who are these ads for? Who is writing them?...They are trying to have fun, but they are also not admitting to the imprecision of the thing that they're measuring.” – Meg (50:29)
  • “I’m in the tank for Google. My wife works there...But I’m just like, every time, I’m like, oh...” – Ben (51:10)

6. Series Prediction & Final Thoughts

• Both see Dodgers as reasonable favorites, roughly 60/40, but the Blue Jays are no Cinderella — they're a balanced, big-market club with stars and depth.
• The series will likely be fun and competitive, especially given the balance in the Blue Jays lineup and internal vulnerabilities of both teams’ bullpens.
  • “This will be a series. I don’t think this is gonna be Dodgers in four or anything like that.” – Meg (69:18)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:53–09:35: Mariners Game 7 tactics, focus on the Bizardo bullpen decision
• 10:19–13:12: TV booth “small ball” commentary gripes (Smoltz et al)
• 14:19–17:18: The JP Crawford bunt and bottom-of-lineup woes
• 19:15–28:29: World Series pitching preview, matchups, rotation breakdowns
• 31:39–34:42: Offense depth, importance of shutting down bottom of lineup, bullpen strengths/weaknesses
• 36:03–41:21: Roki Sasaki’s emerging role, Blue Jays’ approach at the plate, series pitching/lineup strategy
• 45:20–46:49: Injury/return implications for Bichette and Springer
• 50:06–53:33: Rant: Google/MLB ads and what makes for good baseball commercials
• 54:24–59:06: Managerial style, Dave Roberts’ evolution and advantage over Schneider

Conclusion

This episode offers the most comprehensive, up-to-the-minute tactical and narrative preview for the Dodgers–Blue Jays World Series, with thoughtful analysis on bullpen dangers, starting pitching leverage, lineup construction, defensive liabilities, and managing under playoff pressure. Meg and Ben’s banter is animated, thoughtful, sometimes self-deprecating, and always rooted in a deep, nuanced understanding of modern baseball — laser-targeted to the statistically minded fan.

[Listen to this episode for the most considered World Series discussion in the podcast-o-sphere — and maybe just skip the Google Cloud commercials.]