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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, please <a href="https://www.patreon.com/effectivelywild" target="_blank">visit our Patreon</a>.
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about whether Dodgers catcher <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/dalton-rushing/31382/stats/batting" target="_blank">Dalton Rushing</a> is the new reigning redass of MLB, and the first in-depth he-said, they-said mud-slinging about Craig Breslow and Boston&#8217;s coaching cull. Then (35:19) they Stat Blast about the longest streaks of series wins and non-losses to start a season (or at any point in a season), lapping the league in run differential, and batterymates who were previously exchanged in a trade, before bringing on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/benclemens.bsky.social" target="_blank">Ben Clemens</a> of FanGraphs (49:36) to talk about whether <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/munetaka-murakami/37120/stats/batting" target="_blank">Munetaka Murakami</a>&#8217;s hot start is sustainable (and if so, why he was widely underestimated), how the strike zone has been shrunk and reshaped in the ABS era—somewhat counterintuitively, not just because of overturned calls—and the potential short/long-term effects on scoring.
Audio&nbsp;intro: El Warren, &#8220;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ndTWsOUXceUIb7RGqCtQChfListDI3GP/view?usp=drive_link" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Effectively Wild Theme</a>&#8221;
Audio&nbsp;interstitial: Kite Person, &#8220;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ShNIfvqdt84DII-pVYvCp32cIpVIP2V5/view?usp=drive_link" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Effectively Wild Theme</a>&#8221;
Audio&nbsp;outro: Jonathan Crymes, &#8220;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/17xCKWhVd_jYCsHmnzYS21kpPsWJ2zj73/view?usp=drive_link" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Effectively Wild Theme 2</a>&#8221;

<a href="https://www.baseball-almanac.com/dictionary-term.php?term=red%20ass" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to &#8220;redass&#8221; definition</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/944782/2019/04/30/i-just-had-the-ass-an-appreciation-of-red-ass-baseballs-most-colorful-turn-of-phrase/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Carig on &#8220;redass&#8221;</a>
<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dalton-rushing-timeline-trouble-calling-004747670.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Rushing timeline</a>
<a href="https://x.com/FredoCervantes/status/2045752694196027711" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to &#8220;fishy&#8221; comment clip</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7210251/2026/04/19/dodgers-rockies-dalton-rushing-first-pitch-comments/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to &#8220;fishy&#8221; comment article</a>
<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rockies-breaks-celebration-dalton-rushing-113006340.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Rockies celebration</a>
<a href="https://x.com/js9inningsmedia/status/2046805596305756352" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Lee incident clip</a>
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giants/article/dodgers-catcher-denies-disparaging-giants-lee-22221099.php" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Rushing denial</a>
<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/logan-webb-hits-dalton-rushing-with-pitch-in-finale-of-dodgers-giants-series" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Lee incident article</a>
<a href="https://x.com/TheConnorPils/status/2048491301134287169" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Amaya incident clip</a>
<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/29/sports/nico-hoerner-has-regrets-after-alleged-fat-f-k-moment-with-dodgers-dalton-rushing/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Hoerner comments</a>
<a href="https://x.com/BayAreaTrev/status/2047426726922498206" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Rushing&#8217;s slide</a>
<a href="https://x.com/NBCSGiants/status/2047452680872940012" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Arraez comments</a>
<a href="https://x.com/js9inningsmedia/status/2049334008924794979" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to timeout request</a>
<a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/12926321/new-york-yankees-bernie-williams-uncommon-dignity-grace" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to 2015 Williams feature</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7239320/2026/04/29/craig-breslow-alex-cora-red-sox-coaches-purge/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Breslow/Boston report</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatberg" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to fatberg wiki</a>
<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MEsFt7PGubQJedx2WQhqjC9kIZBlhXmkcsfdx0JjJRA/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to streaks spreadsheet</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Solons" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Columbus Solons wiki</a>
<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CzJ5KYW9Ht5u80D55WlrTdcgPAKt6BmzkN1UGqUthy0/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to traded batterymates</a>
<a href="https://www.theringer.com/2018/03/26/mlb/three-theories-on-catcher-plate-performance" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Ben&#8217;s catchers research</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Shackleton wiki</a>
<a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/munetaka-murakami-as-advertised/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Clemens on Murakami</a>
<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=83&season=2026&month=1000&season1=2026&ind=0&sortcol=3&sortdir=asc&startdate=2026-03-01&enddate=2026-04-29&team=0" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to chase rate leaderboard</a>
<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/verdict-shohei-ohtanis-bat-not-good-023611674.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Passan on Ohtani in 2018</a>
<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/10-degrees-dear-shohei-im-sorry-totally-wrong-060850661.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Passan&#8217;s follow-up</a>
<a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-strike-zone-is-shrinking-heres-how/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Clemens on the strike zone</a>
<a href="https://www.mlb.com/glossary/rules/strike-zone" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to strike zone definition</a>
<a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/106524/rubbing-mud-the-square-zone-abs/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Trueblood on the strike zone</a>
<a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/106128/rubbing-mud-lefties-eat-hot-dogs-righties-eat-burgers/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Trueblood on challenges</a>
<a href="https://pebblehunting.substack.com/p/will-the-3-0-autostrike-survive" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Sam on 3-0 autostrikes</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6328105/2025/05/01/mlb-umpire-strike-zone-buffer-zone-change/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to 2025 buffer zone change</a>
<a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/your-final-pre-robo-zone-umpire-accuracy-update/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to ump accuracy over time</a>
<a href="https://grantland.com/features/ben-lindbergh-possibility-machines-replacing-umpires/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Ben on umpire grading</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kernel_regression" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to kernel regression wiki</a>
<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&month=0&ind=0&startdate=&enddate=&team=0%2Css&season1=2024&season=2026&sortcol=8&sortdir=default&pagenum=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to 2024-26 MLB rates</a>
<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&month=1000&ind=0&startdate=2025-03-01&enddate=2025-04-29&season1=2025&season=2025&team=0%2Css" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to 2025 MLB rates through same date</a>
<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&month=1000&ind=0&startdate=2024-03-01&enddate=2024-04-29&season1=2023&season=2025&team=0%2Css" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to 2024 MLB rates through same date</a>
<a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&month=0&ind=0&team=0%2Css&startdate=&enddate=&season1=1871&season=2026&sortcol=8&sortdir=default&pagenum=1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to highest full-season rates</a>
<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/federer-calls-debut-of-hawkeye-technology-madness-6105904.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Federer Hawk-Eye stance 1</a>
<a href="https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/federer-totally-fine-with-hawk-eye-but-wants-darkness-rules-changed" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link to Federer Hawk-Eye stance 2</a>

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Effectively Wild Episode 2473: Rushing to Judgement

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