Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the man who tried to return Roger Maris’s 61st home run ball, two Mickey Mantle letters, the 2017 Zac Gallen/Sandy Alcantara trade, how Maury Wills changed (and dominated) basestealing, and Aaron Judge’s recent value even when he hasn’t hit homers, then answer listener emails (38:15) about hitters setting their own strike zones, Atlanta’s extreme day/night winning percentage split, the shift ban and the Stanky rule, which pitchers will suffer from the new pickoff-attempt rules, and immaculate innings that include an automatic strike from the pitch clock (with a digression into “timer” vs. “clock”), followed by a research-intensive Stat Blast (1:05:53) into whether working quickly improves the defense behind a pitcher, and a double Past Blast (1:27:58) from 1907, including an ahead-of-its-time proposal by the eccentric Bob Unglaub.

Audio intro: Styx, “Havin’ a Ball”
Audio outro: Drive-By Truckers, “Bob”

Link to 2022 article about Durante
Link to 2016 article about Durante
Link to offer for Judge ball
Link to article about Judge ball value
Link to other article about Judge ball
Link to 1961 Mantle letter
Link to 1973 Mantle letter
Link to BP on Gallen
Link to article about 2017 trade
Link to Jeff on the 2017 trade
Link to Wills SABR bio
Link to Wills obit
Link to Pages From Baseball’s Past
Link to Craig Wright on SBs
Link to Wright on Wills
Link to 1960–65 SB leaders
Link to 1962 NL MVP voting
Link to video of Judge near-homer
Link to Defector on the Judge flyout
Link to Defector on walking Judge
Link to EW emails database
Link to Stathead on Atlanta’s split
Link to EW Stanky draft
Link to Stanky maneuver story
Link to Stanky maneuver image
Link to Russell on the running game
Link to list of immaculate innings
Link to Stathead
Link to Savant pitch tempo page
Link to Savant defense behind pitcher
Link to Savant team defense
Link to Mike Fast on pace and defense
Link to Ben on pace and defense in 2017
Link to pace and defense Stat Blast data
Link to 1907 Cubs story source
Link to list of in-season exhibitions
Link to SABR baseball cards site
Link to SABR baseball cards tweet
Link to Unglaub’s 1907 arc idea
Link to article on eccentric Unglaub
Link to article on Unglaub not playing
Link to Unglaub SABR bio
Link to Rob Arthur on deeper defense
Link to Rob on better defense
Link to Jacob Pomrenke’s website
Link to Jacob Pomrenke on Twitter
Link to DraftKings ad

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