Comparing The Careers and Earnings of Kiké Hernández and Jurickson Profar
There are two players who have played against each other for years. One was born in Curaçao in 1993 and the other in Puerto Rico in 1991. One was signed as an amateur free agent and the other was taken in the sixth round of the 2009 draft. One made his major league debut at…
Somehow Andy Pages, A Little-Known Second-Year Player, Became a Main Character In 2025
Last month the Los Angeles Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series. They were led by four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who, for the first time in the National League, worked his magic with his bat and his arm. They also fielded former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. The team was anchored by sluggers Max…
Félix Hernández and Cole Hamels Had Remarkably Similar Careers
About two weeks ago, voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of American received their Hall of Fame ballots for 2026. Here are the candidates: Last week, on the Effectively Wild podcast, Meg Rowley and Ben Lindbergh had Jay Jaffe on as their guest. For the uninitiated, Jay Jaffe is a Senior Writer at Fangraphs,…
Dodger Stadium Has Hosted Many Of Clayton Kershaw’s Greatest Moments
Last Monday night, Clayton Kershaw entered Game 3 of this year’s World Series in the 12th inning, with the score still tied, with two outs, and with the bases loaded. According to him – and later confirmed – it was the first and only time he had pitched in extra innings in his illustrious 18-year…
Sid Bream Does The Impossible
Last week I wrote about baseball history that took place on October 14th. I started 120 years ago, and worked my way up to 1998. But as a heady reader pointed out to me, I missed a huge moment (upon reflection, I actually missed two, but more about the second one all the way at…
October 14th Is A Special Day In Baseball Lore
Every year October 14th auspiciously falls smack dab in the middle of the baseball playoffs. As such, there have been many great moments that have occurred on his date. To wit: A mere 120 years ago, on October 14, 1905, Christy Mathewson threw a shutout against the New York Giants to give the Philadelphia Athletics…
Steve Rogers Had A Career That We Should Try Not To Forget
On Episode 2367 of the Effectively Wild podcast, host Ben Lindbergh made reference to David Laurila’s newsletter and his weekly trivia quiz. One question revolved around the three pitchers who have won at least 100 games for the Expos/Nationals franchise. Ben got the first two, and essentially got the third, but could not place the…
Two Pitchers With Similar Stats But Dissimilar Reputations
CURT SCHILLING Curt Schilling was selected out of Yavapai College in the second round of the 1986 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox. In July of 1988, Boston traded Schilling, along with outfielder Brady Anderson, to the Orioles in return for veteran pitcher Mike Boddicker. Ironically, Schilling made his major league debut just five…
The “Manfred Man” Bestows a Loss On a Pitcher Who Just Did His Job
On Episode 2375 of the Effectively Wild podcast, co-host Ben Lindbergh — no fan of the “Manfred Man” (aka the “Ghost Runner,” which is a misnomer; aka the “Zombie Runner,” which is an insult to the guy actually standing on second base) — pointed out how the rule instituted in 2020 (during Covid) produced a…
A Nod to Kersh
Note: This is a guest column by my son, Jake Freedman Yesterday, the baseball world got news that was widely-expected: Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw announced his retirement following this season. Kershaw doesn’t throw as hard as the new generation, yet still has figured out a way to get guys out. With four kids and a…